Barcelona projects have taken top honours in the Spanish Architecture Awards, with recognition for urban planning, heritage work and public space. The awards, run by the Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España, singled out nine projects across Spain.
The main urban planning prize went to the Special Urban and Urban Improvement Plan for the residential fabric of La Fira de Montjuïc and La Model. The plan was developed by Barcelona City Council's Urban Planning Management and Barcelona Regional, and it brings together public housing, facilities and wider neighbourhood improvements.
At La Fira, the project is due to start in 2029. It includes three blocks of public housing and a set of facilities, including a pavilion, a primary care centre, and extensions to the Jacint Verdaguer school and the Fire Station. The jury said the plan balances tradition and innovation, with sustainability and climate adaptation at its core.
For La Model, the first facilities are expected by 2028. The former prison, which closed nine years ago, is planned to become a major hub of facilities and green space with housing, with full completion targeted for 2035. The new Xirinacs School is due to open in the 2028-2029 academic year, and the public housing units are also planned for 2035.
The Permanence Award went to the rehabilitation of Santa Caterina Market in Barcelona, completed 20 years ago by Miralles Tagliabue, EMBT studio. The jury highlighted its long-term civic role in Ciutat Vella, along with the preserved remains of the old convent and the market roof, a ceramic mosaic of 325,000 hexagons in 67 colours. More on the awards is available from the CSCAE, and readers can follow more local coverage on our news page.
A Barcelona-based team also won for Can Saltiri, a project to improve access to Rupit Castle. Carles Enrich Studio designed the work to make the route from the town centre safer and to better frame the archaeological site. The jury said the intervention turns access into a sensitive spatial experience.
