The Barcelona City Council, the Catalan Architects’ Association (COAC) and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation have joined forces with the Barcelona Building Construmat and ArquinFAD to launch the Architecture Week 2021, a joint initiative that will be taking place in a hybrid format (in-person and online) between 6 and 16 May.

Around thirty Barcelona-based entities who love architecture and want to generate synergies between different social, cultural and artistic disciplines have prepared a wide range of activities related to the world of architecture and the city of Barcelona.

You can find information on all the activities (filtering by day, topic or organiser) on the following platform: https://www.barcelona.cat/setmanadarquitectura/

New proposals and perspectives

The newest addition to the Architecture Week 2021 is the International Architecture Film Festival (BARQ). This is the only competitive architecture film and documentary festival in Spain, which is due to be added to the already-consolidated Archinfilm architectural documentary exhibition at the Filmoteca.

The architecture of the future and the challenges it is currently facing, such as the new European Bauhaus movement, will be discussed in a series of conferences and debates organised by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation.

An additional space for reflection will be the discussion entitled “Circular Construction”, which will be streamed live on the Barcelona City Council’s YouTube channel at 6 PM on 13 May. In this online event, architects, sociologists, economists and other professionals will hold a debate on the subject of architecture in light of the battle against climate change and Agenda 2030.

Festivals and unique opportunities

The Architecture Festivals, organised by the COAC in collaboration with other entities such as neighbour associations, universities, architect offices and various local schools are also due to return to each of the districts in an in-person format. These free-to-access public festivals seek to promote an iconic space or building in each of the city’s districts.  Guided tours, discussions, concerts and various workshops will be held for each of these public spaces and buildings.

The Hidden Spaces initiative, one of the festival’s most exciting proposals, is also set to make a return, allowing us to learn more about some of the city’s undiscovered and often-inaccessible spaces. One such example is the tour of the Cirerers cooperative housing: an eight-story building that is currently under construction which, when finished, will be the tallest building in Spain made out of wood.

And many more activities!

There will be walking and cycling tours; feminist routes analysing urban spaces; visits to the city’s new vertical gardens; architecture photography exhibitions; discussions about the Sagrada Familia as an example of contemporary architecture; book presentations; artistic installations; workshops; webinars on biodegradation vs bioprotection, etc. Check out the Architecture Week 2021 schedule for a full list of activities.

Enjoy them via Twitch, Instagram, Youtube, podcasts…and if you can, in person!