El Colegio de Arquitectos de Barcelona (1956-1962)

When we refer to the new official College of Architects of Catalonia and Baleares built in Barcelona between 1956 and 1962, there is a general agreement that we are referring to an architectural, urban landmark of the new Spanish modernity recovered during the Franco regime. In fact, no other private or public building constructed in Barcelona before better represents its return as a leader in architectural modernity than this building planned and completed to house the Official College of Architects in the heart of the city and promoted by the more intelligent members of the ruling government. A combination of factors turned the College into an emblematic work: firstly, the high quality of the building itself and the decoration or the distribution of the interior spaces, both completely in tune with worldwide modern architecture of the time; secondly, the procedure carried out to select the winning project, a process that many of the most important contemporary Catalan professionals were able to participate in; thirdly, the extraordinary publicity given to both the public tender and the work in progress, since from the moment of its conception it led to a lively public debate, and later a huge critical success because the finished work was seen as a powerful symbol of the longed for reconstruction of Barcelona’s modernity