Discover the former headquarters of the Gustavo Gili publishing house

At number 87 of Carrer Rosselló, we can find the former Gustavo Gili publishing house. It is a building designed by the architects Joaquim Gili (nephew of the founder of the publishing house) and Francesc Bassó, with a surface area of 6,800 square metres and a symbol of Catalan rationalism. Protected as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest (BCIL), and with a process underway to declare it of National Interest (BCIN), it has recently been acquired by the Barcelona City Council to build the new Barcelona Culture and Education Centre, a public facility that must be a reference point. Guided tours of the building will take place on two Thursdays, 14 and 28 July, two each day, at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Registration is required to attend. Visitors can discover the spaces of this building, which has remained intact, both inside and out, from its inauguration in 1960 to the present day, as well as its history and the project for the Barcelona Centre for Culture and Education.

A year after its inauguration, in 1961, Gili and Bassó’s work was awarded the FAD Architecture Prize. The building contrasts the geometric, rectilinear volumes on the outside with the curved forms on the inside. It is divided into three sections arranged around a central roundabout which was used to facilitate the entry and exit of vehicles to and from the publishing house’s warehouses. The three sections are linked by landscaped exterior courtyards, created to maintain the initial idea of Cerdà’s Plan of filling the interiors of the blocks with greenery. The characteristics of this space will allow it to become a centre of dynamism and reflection on culture and education, with a regular programme of activities. The new headquarters will house the Barcelona Institute of Culture and the Municipal Institute of Education. Some spaces have already been rented for temporary uses, such as the headquarters of the Fundació Manifesta in Barcelona and the Office for Access to Vocational Training.

Check this link for more information and to book tickets.