Barcelona has known for a long time that a major remodeling of the Fira Montjuïc and the area around Avenida Maria Cristina is pending. The grand entrance to Montjuïc has been waiting for years for a change to rejuvenate some buildings, many of which are old and in poor condition, and an environment that does not relate well with the surrounding neighborhoods.
That change has finally arrived, and although it is at a very early stage, the city council has already announced the 15 architectural firms selected to submit proposals for the first phase of the project to remodel the Montjuïc fairgrounds. The aim is to transform this space into a modern, urban and iconic European fairground.
The intention is for the works to be completed in 2019, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the 1929 Universal Exposition, the event that set in motion the urbanization of this space, and of which there are still buildings standing.
What will the new Fira de Motnjuïc look like?
At the moment there are no major details of the proposals, but there is an initial approach on how three large areas of the environment will be remodeled.
The architectural competition, announced last May, is divided into three lots:
- New Multifunctional Palace and renovation of the Palace of Communications: to be built in place of the current Palace 4 and Congress Palace.
- New Congress Palace: to be built on the current Palau Alfons XIII, integrating the protected elements of the current structure.
- Transformation of the former Palau del Vestido into the Fira Innovation Hub, a space dedicated to the promotion of star-ups dedicated to future congresses linked to Fira de Barcelona.
The selected firms include prestigious national and international names such as Harquitectes, Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos, and Bjarke Ingels Group.