Barcelona’s Montjüic Fairgrounds will be transformed with an investment of €290m

The  Barcelona City Council and Fira de Barcelona, together with the Col·legi de Arquitectes de Catalunya (Architects Association of Catalonia- COAC) have recently launched a call to international architecture firms to begin a €290m transformation of the Montjüic fairgrounds which was built for the 1929 International Exhibition. In what Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni calls “one of the most ambitious transformation projects that Barcelona will experience in the coming years”, the city will not only renovate and modernize historic buildings, it will build new conference facilities, auditorium and multifunctional spaces, as well as the Fira Innovation hub, a start-up incubator for large companies, SMEs, startups, research centers and universities. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2026, completing a first phase of the project in time for the celebration of the Centenary of Barcelona’s 1929 Universal Expo.

Coinciding with the launch of this major re-development project, an expert group has been assembled that will be responsible for defining the events to be organized to commemorate the Centenary of the Barcelona World Fair as well as related projects that will emerge. Members of the group include ICFO founder and director, Lluís Torner as well former manager of the Liceu and MACBA, Gemma Sendra; former director of MACBA and the Reina Sofía Museum, Manuel Borja-Villel; businesswoman and Fira de Barcelona board member, Helena Guardans; former United Nations Deputy Secretary-General for Communication, Cristina Gallach; rector of UPF, Laia de Nadal; general director of Tourism of Barcelona, Mateu Hernández; director of CCCB, Judit Carrera; president of MNAC, Joan Oliveras, and associate director of BSC, Josep Maria Martorell. According to Mayor Collboni, one of the topics they will address will be the role of science and technology in cities’ tackling of climate change.