Congress Center of Catalonia

A jury composed mostly of representatives of professional and institutional organisms – in particular Spain’s Council of Architectural Institutes and a couple of ministries – granted the Prize for Spanish Architecture to the Congress Center of Catalonia, a work of the Catalans Carlos Ferrater and Josep Maria Cartañá. Located on Barcelona’s Diagonal avenue next to the Hotel Juan Carlos I, by the same architects, the building made it over eighty Spanish works, all of them built in the last two years. Formed by three structurally intricate parallel bays that can flexibly assume the varied uses that congresses and meetings require, the center also had to address the level differences that exist between the street and the rear garden, besides resolving the encounter with the fast-moving thoroughfare through a simple and powerful volumetric composition. As noteworthy accomplishments of the project the jury cited the consistent choice of materials, especially the white concrete of the facades, as well as the careful execution of details, the handling of natural light, and the high technical quality of the building services.