The 1929 International Exhibition has historically been considered one of the great forgotten ones despite the profound impact it had on the city. Despite the economic difficulties at the time it was held and the million-dollar deficit that it left in the municipal coffers, the event represented a great urban transformation that has lasted to this day with the urbanization of Montjuïc, as one of its most visible works. With an eye on this anniversary, the centenary commission of the 1929 International Exhibition, formed by Barcelona City Council, the Generalitat and Fira de Barcelona, held its first meeting today to renew the Montjuïc fair space with the call for a international architecture competition.
This transformation will focus on three areas that will serve to modernize the exhibition facilities with the aim of adapting them to the new demands of the 21st century. In this sense, a new conference palace will be built in the Alfons XIII pavilion, which will be rehabilitated and adapted to the new uses while maintaining the protected heritage elements. This building will have a 1,600-seat auditorium, as well as multipurpose, meeting and exhibition rooms.
On the other hand, in the current congress palace, a modern two-story multifunctional pavilion will be created that will also occupy part of the Univers square and the current pavilion 4. The future facility, with 19,500 m2 of trade fair exhibition, will house lounges, conferences and corporate events. For its part, the Vestido Palace, whose façade faces Plaza Espanya, will have a permanent economic activity space for emerging companies and research centers with initiatives linked to the exhibition sector.
Regarding the calendar, the architectural competition will be launched on May 15 in three lots for each of the projects with the idea that the works will begin in 2026 and end in 2029, coinciding with the centenary of the International Exhibition. The total investment for this first phase of works amounts to 290 million, of which 35 million will be allocated to urbanization work in this area of Montjuïc, such as Maria Cristina Avenue itself. A figure higher than the first estimate presented in December, which was 175 million. But the profound remodeling does not end there and when these works are completed, between 2029 and 2030, the renovation of the rest of palace 8 - already included in the call for the architectural competition - and number 1, the Communications and Transport pavilion, will be undertaken. It will be rehabilitated for fair uses.
Those responsible will explain that not all the works will be carried out at the same time in order to have spaces to hold fairs. The performances will be financed through the Fira 2000 society, which includes the Generalitat, the Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council and the Chamber of Commerce.
“It will be a first-class international competition. We do it with the utmost ambition to once again have iconic buildings in Barcelona that represent the good and the best of international architecture,” said the mayor, Jaume Collboni. For his part, the Minister of Business and Labor, Roger Torrent, has highlighted the public-private and institutional collaboration and assured that the remodeling has to be “a springboard for transformation towards the new productive model.” Pau Relat, the president of the board of directors of Fira de Barcelona, has pointed out that this transformation will make it possible to have “a 21st century fair in Montjuïc with a modern, but very urban venue with civic and cultural uses.” 2029 will be a year in which Montjuïc will once again be the protagonist.
