New architecture in old Barcelona
June 25, 2009 9:57 AM   Subscribe

Barcelona architecture: I'm looking for an image of a specific piece of modern architecture in the Barri Raval, Barcelona

This building is (or was when I was studying in BCN in 1998) part of the Ramon Llull University. It's in Raval, maybe 10 blocks south of the Museum of Contemporary Art on a dense, narrow street that runs perpendicular to the Rambla.
What it is, or the part that I'm interested in, is a perfectly blank, sheer façade of milky glass, 3-4 storeys tall, that forms the entry to a larger complex of buildings that occupy the centre of the block. Appearing like a vein of quartz splitting the chaos of the surrounding streetscape - crumbling old buildings, balconies with washing strung between them, this part of Raval was still pretty much a slum - I remember it as such a powerful, poetic piece of architecture.
If anybody knows anything about this building, and perhaps has or knows where I can find more information and images, I'd really appreciate it (it would greatly help developing some ideas for a project I'm currently working on). Gràcies!
posted by Flashman to Society & Culture (2 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: I was in the area on a design school trip in 2003, and I don't remember seeing this... maybe it was a more temporary art piece? I hope someone can find pics, it sounds cool. closest thing I can find is this, but I'm pretty sure it's not the one you're looking for.
posted by Chris4d at 4:01 PM on June 25, 2009


Response by poster: Thanks - I know that place pretty well too as my studio was at MACBA. No, it's definitely a real building - a small building on the street through which you entered a larger complex of more traditional buildings behind. I only sketched it, didn't take any photos although I sure wish I had, as I've thought about it so often over the years. I may have the location slightly wrong, as I've been scanning the 'birds eye' feature of maps.live.com and can't see it in the area where I thought it would be. It's such a lovely, subtle building, so it's sort of surprising, and not surprising, that it gets overlooked in the city of Mies' pavilion, the Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, etc etc
posted by Flashman at 5:26 PM on June 25, 2009


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