3 major projects will transform the Montjuïc. Commemoration of the Centenary of Expo 29

Three unique, monumental, sustainable, and avant-garde palaces are being presented in the competition to commemorate the Centenary of the 1929 International Exposition. These winning proposals provide a glimpse into the first phase of the renovation of Barcelona's iconic Montjuïc complex, with the aim of transforming it into a key landmark in the 21st-century city.

The proposals, organized into three different lots, approach the renovation of the complex from three perspectives: The first, designed out by Smiljan Radić, Miquel Mariné Núñez, Beatriz Borque, and César Rueda Bonet, focuses on the construction of the Multifunctional Palace and the renovation of the current Communications Palace; the second, developed by Forgas Arquitectes, Arquitectura Sideral, and Álvaro Fernández García, proposes the construction of the new Barcelona Conference Center in the current Alfonso XIII Palace; and the third, by the studios Bjarke Ingels Group and MIAS Arquitectura, focuses on the remodeling of the dress palace and proposes developing the future permanent innovation center of the trade fair institution.

Three major projects will transform the Montjuïc. L’Avantsala de la Fira by Bjarke Ingels Group, MIAS Arquitectura.

The future of Montjuïc is beginning to take shape with the proposals from the winning teams of the architectural competition presented today to the 1929 International Exposition Centenary Commission. Three unique, monumental, sustainable, and avant-garde palaces that combine modernity with a historic setting will showcase the first phase of the redevelopment of this emblematic space in the city, with the aim of transforming it into an iconic urban exhibition center for the 21st century.

This was one of the main points discussed this morning by the Centenary Commission, made up of Barcelona City Council, the Generalitat de Catalunya, and Fira de Barcelona. The Commission continues to make progress in designing the axes of the commemorative activities program and configuring the management bodies that will implement it.

Thus, this morning the Commission was informed of the winning architectural projects commissioned to design the first three major renovation projects for the Montjuïc site, following the decision of the jury composed of five renowned experts and chaired by architect Josep Lluís Mateo. Among the criteria evaluated were the optimization of the exhibition facilities, to update them and make them more flexible and versatile, based on parameters of efficiency, digitalization, and sustainability.

The characteristics of the winning projects were presented today at an event attended by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni; the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu; the Regional Minister of Economy of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Alícia Romero; the President of the Board of Directors of Fira de Barcelona, Pau Relat; the General Director of Fira, Constantí Serrallonga; and the Chief Architect of Barcelona City Council, Maria Buhigas.

Three major projects will transform the Montjuïc. L’Avantsala de la Fira by Bjarke Ingels Group, MIAS Arquitectura.

New Multifunctional Palace
The winner of the first lot, intended for the construction of the Multifunctional Palace and the renovation of the current Communications Palace, was the team formed by architects Smiljan Radić, Miquel Mariné Núñez, Beatriz Borque, and Cesar Rueda Bonet. Their proposal, 2029 Artefacto, creates a luminous and monumental complex that emphasizes transparency and frees up the facades through a lightweight metal structure, which provides the complex with permeability to achieve the integration of the new pavilion with the urban environment.

The Multifunctional Palace, built on the current site of the Barcelona Congress Palace and Palace 4, will consist of a large two-story building with a total of 20,500 sqm of exhibition space and is designed to host all types of events. The project includes the creation of a large landscaped walkway of more than 2,000 sqm connecting the two pavilions on the Avenida Maria Cristina façade. This will provide a privileged open-air vantage point that will complement the exhibition's attractiveness.

This first batch also includes the preliminary architectural design for the renovation of the Palacio de la Comunicaciones, Palace 1 (which will be developed in a second phase) to ensure an aesthetic connection and continuity between the two buildings.

Three major projects will transform the Montjuïc. 2029 Artefacto by Smiljan Radić, Miquel Mariné Núñez, Beatriz Borque, César Rueda Bonet.

Sustainable Past and Future Combined
The design chosen for the second batch, which includes the construction of the new Barcelona Conference Center in the current Alfonso XIII Palace, was presented by Forgas Architectes, Archambac (Arquitectura Sideral), and Álvaro Alejandro Fernández. Under the motto Umbracle, the proposal plans a large, open, and flexible space that emphasizes natural light. The project strives to fully respect the current structure of the palace designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch to create a set of spaces that include a new access from Plaza de Carles Büigas through a lobby and a 6,670 sqm garden courtyard, a 3,132 sqm exhibition hall, a large auditorium with capacity for 2,025 people, as well as multiple multipurpose and meeting rooms.

The proposal stands out for its sustainability, as the new building would be energy self-sufficient thanks to reduced consumption through high-efficiency installations and energy production through photovoltaic, aerothermal, and geothermal systems. The facility will also have a rainwater tank.

Three major projects will transform the Montjuïc. Umbracle by Forgas Arquitectes, Arquitectura Sideral, Álvaro Fernández García.

The Fira Entrance Hall
Finally, the winner of the third lot, the one for the remodeling of the Palacio del Vestido to house the Fira Barcelona Innovation Hub, the trade fair institution's future permanent innovation center, was the team formed by Bjarke Ingels Group and MIAS Arquitectura. Their proposal, titled L'Avantsala de la Fira, proposes the construction of a functional and flexible three-story Z-shaped building surrounded by landscaped spaces open to the public. The current Plaza España façade and its collection of columns will become an entrance portico to the gardens.

The new facility will combine the original designs of Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Josep Maria Jujol with modern structures designed to accommodate flexible and interconnected workspaces, meeting rooms, an auditorium for more than 200 people, and a new sawtooth façade on Gran Via, crowned by skylights that allow natural lighting to the upper floor spaces.

Three major projects will transform the Montjuïc. L’Avantsala de la Fira by Bjarke Ingels Group, MIAS Arquitectura.

Work on this first phase will begin in early 2026 and will be completed in 2029, coinciding with the centenary of the 1929 International Expo. The planned investment is €255 million, of which €215 million will be allocated, through the Fira 2000 company, to the construction of the new Multifunctional Palace and Congress Palace, and €40 million for the renovation of the Clothing Palace, to be carried out by Fira de Barcelona.

In a second phase of this exhibition space renovation project, a new architectural competition will be launched for the executive design for the remodeling of the Communications Palace – Palace 1 and the Metallurgy Palace – Palace 8. This will ensure that trade fair activities can continue at the venue throughout the renovation.

Three major projects will transform the Montjuïc. L’Avantsala de la Fira by Bjarke Ingels Group, MIAS Arquitectura.

Centenary Commission
At today's meeting, the Commission agreed to establish the "Centenary of the 1929 International Exposition: BCN2029" Consortium, comprised of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government), Barcelona City Council, and Fira de Barcelona. This consortium will be responsible for the financial, technical, and administrative management of all actions and initiatives related to the centennial commemoration. The new body will be chaired by the Mayor of Barcelona and will be composed of four representatives from each of the institutions involved.

The main themes of the program of activities to commemorate the Centenary have also been outlined, as well as the working groups that will develop initiatives and analyze their feasibility for each of them. The Commission is committed to recovering the spirit of the 1929 International Exposition through science, knowledge, culture, and innovation as tools to respond to the future challenges of Europe and its cities, with a particular focus on the climate crisis. Furthermore, it also aims to highlight the role of Montjuïc Mountain and its spaces in the modernization of society and the promotion of culture.

View more images

Metalocus recommends

UFV Brick building by Tuñón y Albornoz Arquitectos. Photograph by Luis Asín

Abstraction in white. UFV Brick building by Tuñón y Albornoz Arquitectos

House Anton II by Lux Architect + Cánovas Arquitectura. Photograph by Jens Weber

Structure revealed. House Anton II by Lux Architect + Cánovas Arquitectura

Cellar in Bañares by Atelier Atlántico. Photograph by Luis Asín

A place of leisure and orchard. Cellar in Bañares by Atelier Atlántico

More information

Label

Architects, Lot 1

Text

Smiljan Radić, Miquel Mariné Núñez, Beatriz Borque, César Rueda Bonet.

Label

Architects, Lot 2

Text

Forgas Arquitectes, Arquitectura Sideral, Álvaro Fernández García.

Label

Architects, Lot 3

Text

Bjarke Ingels Group, MIAS Arquitectura.

Label

Dates

Text

Announcement of winners and proposals.- March 2025.

Label

Location

Text

Av. de la Reina Maria Cristina, Sants-Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain.

SMILJAN RADIC

Smiljan Radic Clarke was born in Santiago de Chile in 1965. He studied at the Catholic University of Chile's School of Architecture, where he graduated in 1989. Later, he studied at the Institutto di Architettura di Vezia, Italy. After travelling for three years, he opened his own practice in Santiago in 1995. In 2001 he was named ‘Best under 35 year old architect’ by the Chile College of Architects, and in 2009 he was appointed as an honourary member of the American Institute of Architects, USA.

Smiljan Radic has lectured extensively and has mounted several architecture exhibitions on his work, including in 2013 - The Wardrobe and the Mattress, Hermes Gallery, Tokyo, Japan; Bus Stop for Krumbach, Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria; Ilustraciones, Galeria AFA, Santiago; in 2012 - An Orange Tree Noise at the Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan and in 2010 Global Ends, Ma Gallery in Tokyo, 2010, and People Meet in Architecture, with sculptor Marcela Correa at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice. Smiljan Radic has won numerous contests such the Regional Theatre (Concepción, 2011) and the Telecomunication Tower (Santiago, 2014). His work has been published in several architecture journals and monographs, the most recent being El Croquis N° 167, Madrid, Spain. He currently lives and works in Chile.

Miquel Mariné Núñez

Miquel Mariné Núñez was born in Barcelona in 1975, graduated as an architect from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Barcelona (ETSAB) in 2005, and later obtained a master's degree at the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft), The Netherlands.

He founded the Goig studio together with the architect Pol Esteve. He currently works as a lecturer at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB). His projects include the Jardins Antònia Vilàs in Barcelona together with Beatriz Borque.

Beatriz Borque

Beatriz Borque was born in Barcelona in 1978, graduated as an architect from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB) in 2005, and as a landscape architect from the ETSAB itself, the Escuela Superior de Agricultura de Barcelona (ESAB) and l'École National Supérieure de Paysage de Versailles de Versailles (ENSP) in 2011.

After his studies, he was part of several studios such as Alfredo Arribas Arquitectos Asociados and Arquitectura Agronomia. His projects include the Jardins Antònia Vilàs in Barcelona together with Miquel Mariné, the courtyard garden for a 110-room building and the children's space for the Nou Barris Library, the last two also in Barcelona. In addition to his professional studio practice, he also works in the theoretical and academic field.

Joan Forgas-Dolors Ylla-Català. FORGAS ARQUITECTES

Forgas Arquitectes is an architecture office founded in 1989 by Joan Forgas and Dolors Ylla-Català devoted to develope projects in the area of public space, infrastructure, equipments, housing, rebuilding and patrimony. In these years of experience the team has received several awards and has also won numerous national and international ideas competicions.

The office has an inner core of professional workers with a large group of collaborators, gathering interdisciplinary teams depending on the nature of projects to develop.

FORGAS ARQUITECTES works to achieve the equilibrium and balance between the intrinsic ability of emotional architecture and the inexcusable utility and proportion, making proposals attentive to physical context, environmentally responsible, technologically solvents and trying to respond to the requests and questions posed by society.

BJARKE INGELS

Bjarke Ingels (born in Copenhagen, in 1974) studied architecture at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen and the School of Architecture of Barcelona, obtaining his degree as an architect in 1998. He is the founder of the BIG architecture studio - (Bjarke Ingels Group), a studio founded in 2005, after co-founding PLOT Architects in 2001 with his former partner Julien de Smedt, whom he met while working at the prestigious OMA studio in Rotterdam.

Bjarke has designed and completed award-winning buildings worldwide, and currently, his studio is based with venues in Copenhagen and New York. His projects include The Mountain, a residential complex in Copenhagen, and the innovative Danish Maritime Museum in Elsinore.

With the PLOT study, he won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2004, and with BIG he has received numerous awards such as the ULI Award for Excellence in 2009. Other prizes are the Culture Prize of the Crown Prince of Denmark in 2011; Along with his architectural practice, Bjarke has taught at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and Rice University and is an honorary professor at the Royal Academy of Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen.

In 2018, Bjarke received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Dannebrog granted by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II. He is a frequent public speaker and continues to give lectures at places such as TED, WIRED, AMCHAM, 10 Downing Street or the World Economic Forum. In 2018, Bjarke was appointed Chief Architectural Advisor by WeWork to advise and develop the design vision and language of the company for buildings, campuses and neighborhoods around the world.

JOSEP MIÀS. MIÀS Architects

MIÀS Architects is an internationally recognized Architecture and Urbanism Studio, founded by Josep Miàs in the year 2000, known for both its experimental projects and its practice combining sustainable technology, innovative manufacturing and cutting- edge construction practices.

Josep Miàs, Architect COAC/ARB. 1992_ETSAB_UPC, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona_Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

From 1990 till 2000 he worked as Associated Architect with Enric Miralles, developing the following projects Círculo de Lectores in Madrid, Sports Hall in Huesca, Centro de Alto Rendimiento in Alicante, Library in Palafolls, Parc dels Colors in Mollet del Vallès, Cemetery in Igualada, Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, DiagonalMarPark, Santa Caterina Market and GasNaturalBuilding in Barcelona. In 2000, Josep Miàs founded his own studio.

Among won architectural competitions, these are the most important first prizes: Girona Central Park Station, Banyoles Old City Refurbishment, Barceloneta Market, Rubí Market, Golf Fontanals de Cerdanya Clubhouse, Tibidabo Funicular Station and Herta Frankel Puppet Theatre in Barcelona, Girona Annexa-Puigbert Primary School, Plug-in Building 22@ in Barcelona, Torrebaró Apartment Building in Barcelona, San Bernardo Apartment Building in Madrid, Dakar Music Recording Centre and Village in Senegal, Palafolls Pedestrian Bridge, Miño Sil Water Confederation Headquarters in Ourense, Arenys Mental Health Centre and iGuzzini Barcelona Corporate Building.

Josep Miàs’ works have won several awards, some of them are: AJAC Best Young Architect Award 2004 for Golf Fontanals de Cerdanya, Special Mention Girona Architecture Award 2005 for Mollet single house, First Prize Girona Architecture Award 2007 for Banyoles Old City Refurbishment, City of Barcelona Architecture and Urbanism Award 2007 for Barceloneta Market, Catalonia Construction Award 2009 for Banyoles Old City Refurbishment, Architecture Aplus Award 2011 Best Educational Building in Spain for Annexa-Puigbert Primary School, Building of the Year 2011 Archdaily Award_Winner World Best Building of the Year, and WAF World Architecture Festival 2012 Shorlisted World Best Building of the Year both for iGuzzini Barcelona Corporate Building.

From 1992, he has developed teaching activities in Architecture Schools in Europe, America and USA: Design Department Professor at Barcelona School of Architecture ETSAB_UPC Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Design Department Professor at School of Architecture La Salle BCN, Director of the Design Department and Deputy Director at School of Architecture ESARQ_UIC_Universitat Internacional de Catalunya and Professor in UCL University College London_The Bartlett School of Architecture,UNISS Università di Sassari_Facoltà d’Architettura Alghero, Frankfurt Stadelschule and USA Harvard Graduate School of Design GSD.

He has been invited to read lectures and head up workshops in a large number of universities in Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, United States, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Singapore and Panama among others.

His work, as well as his writings, have been published in international magazines and books, and his buildings have been exhibited in many exhibition halls as COAC_Barcelona, Arquería Nuevos Ministerios_Madrid, Cité de l’Architecture_Paris, Stadelschule_Frankfurt, Architektur Forum_Zurich, TU University_Berlin,House of the Architect_Kiev, Bartlett School of Architecture_London, 2012 Biennale di Venezia, and WAF 2012 Singapore.

Currently, he is Associate Professor at the Barcelona School of Architecture ETSAB_UPC Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya_Barcelona, Visiting Professor in UNISS Università di Sassari_Facoltà d’Architettura Alghero andTeaching Fellow in UCL University College London_The Bartlett School of Architecture.