Years of major reforms are coming in the exhibition area of ??Barcelona and its metropolitan area. To the expansion of the Gran Via venue in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, whose first stone was laid last week, will be added the modernization of the historic Montjuïc area, today the little brother in terms of attracting large fairs.
The reform of the traditional fair area of ??the Catalan capital, which maintains the same structure as when it was conceived a century ago, will require an investment of approximately 175 million euros that will be carried out by Fira 2000, a company owned by the Generalitat of Catalonia. , the Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, the Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council and the Chamber of Commerce. The figure was specified this Monday by the administrations involved during the creation of a commission to celebrate the centenary of the 1929 International Exposition.
However, these 175 million only include the modernization of the old Montjuïc pavilions and everything related to the activity of Fira de Barcelona. The budget estimate presented does not include the creation of public facilities and housing, which are also part of the planning agreed upon by the institutions involved.
At the time, it was promised that the reform of this area would create 500 public apartments and various facilities such as an outpatient clinic and a residence. The idea of ??adding housing and services for citizens is still in place, but it does not have a schedule or a defined budget today. Or at least it’s not public. “We will communicate it in due course,” said the mayor of Barcelona, ??Jaume Collboni, when asked about this issue. “It will be contemporary with the transformation of Fira,” he remarked. A remodeling that will end, if the deadlines are met, in 2029, coinciding with the centenary of the International Exhibition.
The operation of Fira 2000 may also undergo changes in the amount of investment required. And to update the pavilions, four international architecture competitions will be called that will arrive next spring and may change the budget of 175 million euros depending on the winning projects. “Barcelona wants to have iconic buildings,” said the mayor. “Montjuïc is vital to complement the Fira spaces,” considered the president of Fira de Barcelona, ??Pau Relat.
These competitions will decide how to build a congress palace in the Alfonso permanent.
In essence, the fair activity will lose half of its spaces in exchange for modernizing and optimizing them and taking into account the expansion already underway in l’Hospitalet. In exchange, the city will gain space for public housing, facilities and green areas. One of these free spaces will be located where the so-called Italian pavilion now stands.
In addition, Reina Maria Cristina Avenue will be renovated and designated for pedestrians, bicycles and public transport, becoming a space restricted to the passage of private cars. “It is a balance between Fira and urban uses. By preserving their historical value, we will turn the spaces into references of the 21st century,” defended the general director of Fira, Constantí Serrallonga. The Minister of Business, Roger Torrent, said that the Generalitat is “absolutely committed” to the modernization of Fira.
While all this transformation is happening, work will be done to celebrate the centenary of the 1929 International Exhibition. The Generalitat, the City Council and Fira are part of the commission created for this purpose, which will also be in charge of monitoring the transformation of the exhibition space. Montjuic. “The 1929 Exhibition meant the full acceptance of modernity,” Pilar Vélez, PhD in Art History, recalled during the event.
