Barcelona is looking for architects born on or after January 1, 1989 -that is, no more than 35 years old- to remodel 17 party walls in 10 points of the capital. With a view to the World Capital of Architecture of which the city will host in 2026, the City Council has launched a international competition together with the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, UNESCO and the International Union of Architects to collect projects until August 5 with which to decorate bland-looking walls, improve energy efficiency – for example, by installing photovoltaic panels – and the habitability of the chosen buildings against the effects of climate change – the possibility of creating windows- and plant vegetation on those rear facades, defying gravity. Some gardens hanging from blocks serve as a model of what is demanded, such as one on Pallars Street, planted with the help of the party wall remodeling plan that the council started 25 years ago and that it now wants to promote.
“Can to make the city more beautiful and also to be more prepared to face the climate emergency”, said the Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning, Laia Bonet, during the presentation of the call to find ideas with which to ennoble the side of the buildings that is usually ignored. Barcelona counts some 6,000 party walls visible from the street. Of the total, 348 will not be covered by buildings pending construction and measure more than 100 square meters.
The properties chosen after an agreement between the City Council and the communities of owners They are distributed in each of the 10 districts of the capital, what Bonet has defined as an example of “social justice” and “territorial balance.” The walls share the feature of overlooking an esplanade, a square or a garden, which makes them a great showcase to display what the lieutenant has postulated should be. “the legacy of the capital of architecture”. They are located on Quetzal, Dante Aliguieri, Agustí i Milà, Nàpols, Rosselló, Pare Rodés, Espronceda streets, Madrid avenue, Martina Castells square and the Marià Manent gardens.
“It will enhance what we know as forgotten spaces, of which there are many, but they have enormous potential to improve the quality of life and the experience of the neighbors who live in the surroundings,” the councilor emphasized. Furthermore, Bonet has anticipated that The City Council hopes that the renovations will extend to more blocks of the city. The government of Mayor Jaume Collboni is finalizing a pending plan to promote them. The lieutenant has expressed that the architectural competition will be the “starting point of a bid to transform more party walls.”
5.3 million operation
The City Council allocates 5.3 million euros to the operation. The funds will cover 100% of the repairs except in the case of opening windows and balconies. In that case, the owners will have to assume half of the expense. The reforms must be completed in two years, with the inauguration of nearly twenty of the rehabilitated sides of farms “starting in the spring of 2026” and throughout the 10 months of the world event that Barcelona will host that year, stated the chief architect of the council, Maria Buhigas.
The competition jury will bring together European, Asian, American, African and Middle Eastern architects, to which Buhigas and the director of the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, Anna Ramos, will be added. The winners will be announced after Mercè, on a date after September 25. The three best projects will be recognized for each of the 10 locations, although only the one that obtains first prize in each case will materialize. “It is a way to encourage the participation of young people,” said the chief architect, who He is confident that the contest will attract “a great participation”.
Buhigas explained that the City Council proposed to the International Union of Architects – organizers of the capital’s events – to launch a competition to enhance these secondary walls. “It seemed important to us to leave a mark that explicitly recognized the capacity of architecture to transform people’s lives. It’s like the transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly: We stop talking about party walls, which give the impression of provisionality, and suddenly they achieve the category of facade”, Buhigas compares.
