Barcelona Contemporary Architecture

In 2006, the exhibition "On-Site: New architecture in Spain" was held in the MoMA. It defined Spain as a country that has lately become known as an international center for design innovation and excellence, as it is shown in the fact that seven Pritzker awarded architects were selected for the exhibition.

As Terence Riley, then in charge of the Architectural Department of the MoMA said: "There is not an "Spanish" architectural style. But there is an increasingly level of quality and beauty within the new projects, probably more than other part of the world. Their variety and open-minded lines are surprising."

The Barcelona Agbar Tower by French architect Jean Nouvel combines different architectural concepts, resulting in a striking structure built with reinforced concrete, covered with a facade of glass, with its window openings cut out of the structural concrete.

Recently, the Media-TIC was crowned with the world’s top architecture prize at the 2011 World Architecture Festival Awards (WAF).

International designers like Frank Gehry, Toyo Ito, Dominique Perrault, Arata Isozaki, Richard Meier, Herzog & de Meuron, David Chipperfield, Sir Norman Foster or Santiago Calatrava are made the city known as the mecca of contemporary architecture in Southern Europe.

This guide contains a wide selection of more than 50 of those buildings, with original photographs and both online an offline maps, for a completely self-contained experience.

It is the perfect companion whether you are looking for directions around Barcelona or just to get more knowledge of this vibrant city.