{"id":85245,"date":"2017-03-29T13:41:21","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T11:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/?p=85245"},"modified":"2020-08-14T17:05:08","modified_gmt":"2020-08-14T15:05:08","slug":"architecture-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/architecture-3\/","title":{"rendered":"The old and the new: Barcelona&#8217;s most stunning architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the things Barcelona is most famous for is its <strong>architecture.<\/strong> The city&#8217;s landscape is beautifully adorned with magnificent works by the brilliant minds of the past and the present. Come for a visit to the Catalan capital and you will find a combination of old and new that will simply fascinate you.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this article, we will talk about some of\u00a0<strong>Barcelona&#8217;s most stunning architecture<\/strong>, focusing both on old and new constructions that have made this city what it is today.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/architecture-3\/#The_Old\" title=\"The Old\">The Old<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/architecture-3\/#The_New\" title=\"The New\">The New<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Old\"><\/span>The Old<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>1. Works by Antoni Gaud\u00ec<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The very first collection of buildings we must mention are the ones designed by\u00a0<strong>Antoni Gaud\u00ec<\/strong>. This Catalan legend was the creator of some of the most famous <strong>architectural landmarks<\/strong> in Barcelona, with seven of them having been declared <strong>World Heritage Sites<\/strong> by <strong>UNESCO.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_85264\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-85264\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-85264\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Magic-Ketchup-via-Visualhunt-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-85264\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Magic Ketchup via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">One <strong>Gaud\u00ec&#8217;s<\/strong> first works in Barcelona,\u00a0<strong>Casa Vicens<\/strong>, is also one of the first works of <strong>Art Noveau<\/strong> to appear in the city. Despite not being open to the public anymore, it can still be appreciated from the outside, in the hip and eclectic\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/gracia-district\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">district of Gr\u00e0cia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another one of\u00a0<strong>Gaud\u00ec&#8217;s<\/strong> earlier works,\u00a0<strong>Palau G\u00fcell<\/strong> is an impressive mansion that was built during the 1880s, just off Las Ramblas. The work was commissioned by Eusebi G\u00fcell, who became a close personal friend and patron to the <strong>architect,<\/strong> for whom <strong>Gaud\u00ec<\/strong> eventually designed\u00a0<strong>Park G\u00fcell<\/strong>. With its beautiful natural surroundings and its <em>trencad\u00eds<\/em> ridden spaces,\u00a0<strong>Park G\u00fcell<\/strong> succeeded not as the commercial housing site it was originally meant to be, but as the most famous park in Barcelona, alongside Parc de la Ciutadella.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two of the most famous works by <strong>Gaud\u00ec<\/strong>, <strong>Casa Mil\u00e0<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Casa Batll\u00f3<\/strong>, helped Passeig de Gr\u00e0cia obtain the prestige it holds today.\u00a0<strong>Casa Batll\u00f3<\/strong> was the first of the two to be built and is certainly the most impressive, with its nature-inspired shapes, colorful facade, and its dragon-scale roof. The\u00a0building was not originally created by <strong>Gaud\u00ec<\/strong>, but it was the <strong>Catalan architect<\/strong> who made it into the unique work of art it is today, by redesigning it in 1904. A couple of years later,\u00a0<strong>Gaud\u00ec<\/strong> started working on\u00a0<strong>Casa Mil\u00e0<\/strong>, famously know as &#8220;<strong>La Pedrera<\/strong>&#8220;. With its unusual undulating facade, the building was initially criticized by many but later became one of the most appreciated works of the <strong>architect.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The culmination of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/gaudis-architecture-barcelona\/\"><strong>Gaud\u00ec&#8217;s<\/strong> work<\/a>,\u00a0<strong>Sagrada Fam\u00edlia<\/strong> is still under construction today. The massive church exhibits a heavily-adorned gray facade, while the interior is tinted in colored lights, due to the use of gorgeous stained glass. To create\u00a0<strong>Sagrada Fam\u00eclia<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>Gaud\u00ec<\/strong>\u00a0had to develop new shapes and, as always, drew a great part of his inspiration from nature.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/world-heritage-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Barcelona&#8217;s UNESCO World Heritage Sites<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>2. Works by Josep Puig i Cadafalch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He may not be as famous internationally as\u00a0<strong>Gaud\u00ec<\/strong> is, but <strong>Josep Puig i Cadafalch<\/strong> contributed greatly to Barcelona&#8217;s modernist movement. One of his most famous works, <strong>Casa Amatller<\/strong>,\u00a0can be found right next to <strong>Gaud\u00ec&#8217;s Batll\u00f3<\/strong>, forming part of the notorious &#8220;manzana de la discordia&#8221;, a block in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/discover-eixample\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eixample<\/a> where sumptuous\u00a0modernist houses were built, in an attempt to outshine each other.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Works by\u00a0<strong>Cadafalch<\/strong> can be found all over the city, such as\u00a0<strong>Casa Macaya<\/strong>, which was declared\u00a0<em>Bien Cultural de Interes Nacional<\/em> by the Government of Catalonia in 1976. Today, the building is owned by <strong>La Caixa<\/strong>, who also owns another building designed by the <strong>architect,<\/strong> the old F\u00e0brica Casaramona building, currently known as\u00a0<strong>CaixaForum<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>3. Works by Llu\u00eds Dom\u00e8nech i Montaner<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_85266\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-85266\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-85266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/15252349852_2434381138_c-300x212.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-85266\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by john.purvis via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both a politician and an <strong>architect,<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Llu\u00eds Dom\u00e8nech i Montaner<\/strong> was one of the most respected professionals of his time, which granted him a place at the &#8220;manzana de la discordia&#8221; with the gorgeous <strong>Casa Lle\u00f3 Morera<\/strong>. Another remodeling of an existing building,\u00a0<strong>Casa Lle\u00f3 Morera\u00a0<\/strong>was created with combined the genius of\u00a0<strong>Montaner<\/strong> and the most talented artisans of the era, such as sculptor Eusei Arnau and mosaic expert Llu\u00eds Bru.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Llu\u00eds Dom\u00e8nech i Montaner<\/strong> is also responsible for the design of the most famous music hall in Barcelona,\u00a0<strong>Palau de la M\u00fasica Catalana<\/strong><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Inaugurated in 1908, the building would later be declared a <strong>World Heritage Site<\/strong> by <strong>UNESCO,<\/strong> alongside another one of\u00a0<strong>Montaner<\/strong>&#8216;s most impressive works, the absolutely stunning <strong>Hospital de Sant Pau<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_New\"><\/span>The New<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>1. Museu del Disseny de Barcelona<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Barcelona&#8217;s\u00a0new\u00a0<strong>Design Museum<\/strong> may not present the same adorned and intricate facade than the buildings of the modernist era, but it is still a landmark in <strong>Catalan architecture<\/strong>. The <strong>museum<\/strong> was designed by <strong>Josep Martorell, Oriol Bohigas, David Mackay, Francesc Gual<\/strong> and<strong> Oriol Capdevila<\/strong> as a team working for the <strong>MBM ARQUITECTES studio<\/strong>. Today, it houses the collections of a number of former museums such as Textile Museum, the Decorative Arts Museum, and the Graphic Arts Musem.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>2. Torre Agbar<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_85268\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-85268\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-85268\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/3002633825_d05049e0fa_z-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-85268\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by carlinhos75 via VisualHunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Not far from\u00a0<strong>Museu del Disseny<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>there is another building that gave locals much to talk about. Both loved and hated due to its unusual and some say, phallic shape, the building is now featured in postcards and guides to the city as one of the great\u00a0<strong>architectural pieces<\/strong> of Barcelona the of the 2000s. The building, which is over 50,000 m2 tall, is covered by thousands of LED lights which come to life during the night, illuminating the city&#8217;s skyline with bursts of blue and red. The <strong>Agbar Tower<\/strong> was designed by French architect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/jean-nouvel-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Jean Nouvel<\/strong><\/a>, together with <strong>b720 Ferm\u00edn V\u00e1zquez Arquitectos<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>3. Museu Blau<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Barcelona&#8217;s\u00a0<strong>Design Museum<\/strong> is not the only museum in town to have a peculiar, avant-garde shape. Designed by Swiss architects <strong>Jacques Herzog<\/strong> and <strong>Pierre de Meuron<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>Museu Blau<\/strong> is a blue, triangular-shaped building whose exterior is partly decorated with mirrors. Currently the home of the city&#8217;s\u00a0<strong>Natural Science Museum<\/strong>, which\u00a0houses a collection of over 3 million pieces, the building was originally criticized in the media due to serious issues with its construction.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/monestir-de-pedralbes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A visit to the Monestir de Pedralbes<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>4. The Media-TIC building<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Designed by <strong>Enrique Ruiz Geli<\/strong>,\u00a0the\u00a0<strong>Media-TIC building<\/strong> is one of the most peculiar constructions created in in recent times in Barcelona. The building was created using a number of innovative techniques and materials and is used as business and technology hub in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/discover-sant-marti\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">district of Sant Mart\u00ec<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>5. The PRBB building<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_85269\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-85269\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-85269\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Universitat-Pompeu-Fabra-Barcelona-via-Visualhunt-300x201.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-85269\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Located in Barcelona&#8217;s Olympic Port, the\u00a0<b>Barcelona Biomedical Research Park\u00a0<\/b>building is a stadium-like construction that houses six public research centers, including the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Insitute, the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences of the Pompeu Fabra University, and the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology. The <b>Barcelona Biomedical Research Park\u00a0<\/b>building\u00a0was designed in 2006 by architects <strong>Manuel Brullet i Tenas<\/strong> and <strong>Albert de Pineda i \u00c0lvarez<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Barcelona is truly an eclectic city in every sense of the word, which is reflected in its diverse <strong>architectural works.<\/strong> If you are a fan of <strong>architecture,<\/strong> do not miss the opportunity to visit these modern and historical landmarks. There are a variety of businesses that offer <strong>architecture walking tours<\/strong> in the city. And if you are thinking of pursuing a career in <strong>architecture,<\/strong> why not spend some time studying it in Barcelona?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>Looking for a new apartment in Barcelona?\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>ShBarcelona<\/strong><\/a> offers a number of accommodations for long and short stays in the city.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>* Main photo by\u00a0 Catalan Art &amp; Architecture Gallery (Josep Bracons) via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"\n    class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-valign-bottom kksr-align-left \"\n    data-id=\"85245\"\n    data-slug=\"\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 150px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-legend\">\n            <strong class=\"kksr-score\">5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\/<\/span>\n        <strong>5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">(<\/span>\n        <strong class=\"kksr-count\">2<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\n            votes        <\/span>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the things Barcelona is most famous for is its architecture. The city&#8217;s landscape is beautifully adorned with magnificent works by the brilliant minds of the past and the present. Come for a visit to the Catalan capital and you will find a combination of old and new that will simply fascinate you. In [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":85271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4349],"tags":[7155,3746,3087],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85245"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85245"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103910,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85245\/revisions\/103910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}