In the simulated photos of the initial Macba project – what architects call renders –, apart from the building, there were a lot of figurines representing people to give us an idea of ??what the space would look like and what it would be used for. You could see people taking photos, walking, children playing, one passed by on a bicycle, another with a loaf of bread under his arm and another on a skateboard. They drew one skater, not fifty.
Years after it was inaugurated in 1995, Barcelona City Council and Macba have presented new renderings of the renovation that will be carried out in Plaça de los Àngels. In short, the museum will be expanded in the building opposite and the Macba podium will be integrated into the square, where trees and abundant vegetation will be planted and benches and loungers will be placed. A fool would say that all this is to throw out the skaters.
It is known that what is drawn on a plane later in reality can end up being different. Like that harmless drawn skater, which it seems he raised. Well, in this case, those who have to carry out the reform are lucky. You won’t have to use your imagination or four strokes, you can try it in situ. It won’t be an experiment with soda.
Very close to Plaza de los Àngels, in the Raval neighborhood, they have the best test bed: the site of the old Santa Creu hospital, today very degraded. There they can dedicate themselves to doing their testing to obtain lush vegetation, reviving trees and plants that have lost their splendor. Reopen old bars and terraces to offer a good atmosphere to locals and tourists. Place benches and loungers to rest or read with the birds singing in the background, while the children run around.
If in the premises occupied by honorable institutions such as the Biblioteca de Catalunya, the Institut d’Estudis Catalans and the La Perla 29 theatre, among others, they achieve a clean and curious space, without the stench of urine, a haven of peace, an oasis in the middle of the Raval, with those benches and loungers to hang out, they will be guaranteed success when they enter the neighboring square, the big one, with the machines.
