Barcelona unveils architectural plans for redevelopment of Fira Montjuïc and surrounding area

Authorities have unveiled plans for the redevelopment of the Fira Montjuïc area of Barcelona, including three large architectural projects for different pavilions all in the framework of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1929 International Exposition in the Catalan capital. 

The project will see the Fira Montjuïc congress halls and surrounding areas be completely redeveloped, including the creation of a new neighbourhood which Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni called Nou Poble Sec, which will feature 500 rent-controlled homes.

The works will be undertaken in two distinct phases, the first leading up to the centenary of the 1929 event that so fundamentally changed the city of Barcelona through its many construction and development projects, and another that will see development continue between 2029 and 2035. Works will start at the end of this year with construction beginning in early 2026.

While the first buildings of the Fira complex are being redeveloped, until 2029, Pavilions 1, 2, and 8 will still be able to be used for large-scale events as they currently are. Then upon completion, the others will be in use once more until construction concludes in 2035.  

The planned budget for the works is €255 million, of which €215 million will be destined to the construction of the new pavilions Palau Multifuncional and Palau de Congressos, and €40 million will go to the works on Palau del Vestit. 

The new designs aim to respect the original architecture of Josep Puig i Cadafalch while at the same time creating new spaces, including a Plaça de Carles Buïgas featuring a 6,670m2 garden-patio, an exhibition space spanning 3,132m2, an auditorium with capacity for 2,025 people, as well as many other multifunctional spaces and meeting rooms.  

The Palau Multifuncional, which will be built where the current Palau de Congressos de Barcelona and Palau 4 are located, will be formed by one large two-story building that will feature a total of 20,500m2 of exhibition space and will be designed to accommodate all types of different events. 

On Monday morning at a press conference in the Mies van der Rohe pavilion, right by the spaces that will be redeveloped, Collboni was joined by the president of the Fira Barcelona, Pau Relat, Director General of the Fira, Constantí Serrallonga, the head architect of the Barcelona city council, Maria Buhigas, Catalonia’s Economy Minister Alícia Romero, and the Spanish Industry and Tourism minister Jordi Hereu in explaining the new plans. 

The buildings of the Fira Barcelona will also be given new names. Authorities announced the winners of the tender for the three different architectural projects on Monday morning, which include Smiljan Radic, Miquel Mariné Núñez, Beatriz Borque, and César Rueda Bonet for the first project, on Palau Multifuncional and the Palau de les Comunicacions; Forgas Arquitectes, Archambac, and Álvaro Fernández García for the second phase in the Nou Palau de Congressos de Barcelona; and Bjarke Ingels Group and MIAS Arquitectura in the third, for Palau del Vestit. 

The projects also stand out for their sustainability, as the new buildings will be more energy-efficient through solar panel systems, as well as having a water tank to collect rainwater.