Barcelona, the
architecture and the city
From medieval
monumentality to the urban modern design
This course is dedicated to an overview of the
history of Catalan architecture. It will focus on the strong relationships
between architecture and urban design, one of the main aspects that defined the
nature and characteristics of Catalan architecture for many centuries, from the
medieval period, to the architecture of the Modernismo,
the early 20th century avant-garde and their revolutionary concept of
space, and, finally, to the architectural and urban development undertaken for
the Barcelona Olympics Games held in 1992.
All these historical scenarios will be a pretext to explore the way in
which the city of Barcelona has changed over time. With this as a point of departure, the Cathedral could be interpreted as
a sacred public square within the city walls; the modernistas as the first architects who imagined the city and its
growth as a total work of art; and the 20th century avant-garde architects
as those who designed buildings as part of a scientific and autonomous
manifest. The intention is to look at the local architectural heritage as an
initial point to think about the essence of architecture through time, as a
synthesis of ideas, techniques and forms in relationship with the space and the
city, similar to the ones held in the European International setting.