The 48h Open House Barcelona, one of the most anticipated architecture festivals in the city, the event that opens the doors of the most unknown buildings in Barcelona, will be held on October 26 and 27, 2024. As every year, the event, now in its 15th edition, offers citizens the unique opportunity to explore spaces that normally remain closed to the public, including emblematic buildings, offices, housing and large infrastructures.
48h Open House Barcelona 2024: dates
The festival will be held on October 26 and 27, 2024.
Where is the festival being held? Which cities have buildings with open doors?
For some years now, the 48h Open House Barcelona has been spreading beyond Barcelona and its metropolitan area.
This year, in addition to Barcelona, there will be open houses in Badalona, Sant Joan Despí, l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Vilassar de Dalt and Sitges.
Which buildings need to be booked in advance?
This year, the festival presents the novelty that it is not necessary to book in advance for the vast majority of the 200 spaces that will be open do not need prior reservation to access them.
To facilitate the experience, there will be a real-time map showing the influx in each space, helping visitors to avoid long lines.
However, there are some buildings that require reservations. They are the following.
- Wastewater treatment plant EDAR Besòs
- TMB Cotxeres ZAL
- Recinte Sant Pau (modernist itinerary)
- Itinerary ‘Habitat Cooperatiu a Nou Barris’.
- Aigües del Tibidabo Tower
- Pavellons de la Seat-Menjadors de Seat
- Prat de Llobregat Wastewater Treatment Plant
Program of the 48th Open House
The 15th edition of the festival aims to focus on what is important to citizens in their city, focusing on the exploration of seven fundamental characteristics: luminosity, solidity, location, orientation, functionality, beauty and comfort.
In Barcelona city you will be able to visit 148 buildings. You can make your own tour, but we tell you some of the new spaces or those that most catch our attention.
- Antic convent de la Mercè: Current headquarters of the General Captaincy, this historic building of the thirteenth century has undergone multiple transformations. Its 1926 neoclassical façade by Adolf Florensa, which overlooks Passeig de Colom, stands out.
- Edar Besòs: One of the largest wastewater treatment plants in Europe, it offers a unique view of urban infrastructure and water treatment.
- Col-legi Sant Ignasi de Loiola: Jesuit educational institution with remarkable architecture that reflects the history and values of the order.
- Il Giardinetto: Historic restaurant with a unique interior design that transports visitors to Italy in the 1970s.
- Monestir de Santa Maria de Valldonzella: Modernist monastic complex designed by Bernardí Martorell i Puig between 1910-1922, an outstanding example of religious architecture.
- Offices of the Botanical Garden: A space that combines administrative functionality with the natural beauty of the botanical surroundings.
- Casa Rius (Fundació ACICAC): Modernist building designed by Josep Rius i Mestres, now converted into a space for artistic creation.
- Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona: Historic institution with an imposing neoclassical façade and interior spaces that reflect its scientific and cultural importance.
- Antigues cuines – Pavelló Central de la Maternitat: Part of the historical complex of the Maternitat, it offers a vision of the hospital architecture of the early twentieth century.
Sections: the 48 Open House for children, for foodies…
The festival groups some of its visits in sections, with a sort of “special programming” that allows to gather some of the buildings by themes or interests.
This year the themes are Open Green (focused on nature), Open Infrastructures or Open Social (about social buildings). Here are two of the sections that have most interested us
Open Petits
Another novelty of the festival is Open Petits, a program that gathers activities for children under 12 years old in different spaces. On the one hand, it collects itas interesting for children because of the type of content and, on the other hand, the little ones can find an Open House game that consists of finding small hidden houses in 10 different spaces of the cities.
In Barcelona the spaces are:
- Biblioteca Montserrat Abelló. Dissabte de 16 a 19 h. Carrer dels Comtes de Bell-Lloc, 192-200.
- Can Framis Museum. Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Carrer de Roc Boronat, 116-126
- Vil-la Urània. Sunday from 10 to 19 h. Saragossa Street, 29
- Nursing School, Sant Pau. Saturday from 10 to 19 h. Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167
There are other spaces that program fun visits for children that can be consulted on the festival’s website.
Open Kitchen
OPEN KITCHEN, another novelty, delves into the relationship between architecture and cuisine, between architecture and sensory perception of food. For this reason, it organizes visits to different restaurants in the city.
The restaurants that can be visited are:
- Showroom Oak 2000. Calle Numancia, 48, Barcelona
- Restaurant Comida Codac. Pau Claris Street, 145, Barcelona
- Restaurant Direkte. Casanova Street, 44, Barcelona
- Il Giardinetto, Calle de la Riera Alta, 23, Barcelona