Arata Isozaki & Andrea Maffei Associati, S.r.l.

Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona

Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona

Arata Isozaki

Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
© Felipe Ugalde

STRUCTURE
Roberto Brufau y Asociados

PROPERTY 
Fundació la Caixa

YEAR  
2002

LOCATION   
Barcelona, Spain

 INSTALLATION
JG & Asociados

 CONSTRUCTOR   
Comsa

CATEGORY 
Adaptive Reuse, Cultural Center

ARCHITECTS 
Arata Isozaki

AREA  
2028.0 m²

  EDITORIAL TEAM
Arata Isozaki, Kuniaki Takahashi, Toshiaki Tange, Núria Puig, Rafael Vall, Yoshihide Kobanawa

Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
© Felipe Ugalde

Text description provided by architect.

As part of the restoration of the old Fábrica Casaramona, as Centro Cultural de “La Fundació La Caixa”, a project, which consists of the design of a courtyard with access to the main entrance, has been realized. It is situated in the basement level and is of a public character.

Casaramona is located on a slope of the Montjuïc hill in Barcelona. It was built in 1911 to house a textile factory. Ever since being designated as a cultural heritage of the country in 1976, it has been recognized as an important work of modernist Catalan architecture.

Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
© Felipe Ugalde
Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
© Felipe Ugalde

Taking into account the original circumstances of the design, the area that corresponds with the main hall of the factory has been transformed into an exposition hall of the Fundació. Conserving the facade almost the way it is today, the basement was excavated, in order to project the main entrance together with the auditorium and the media library.

The street with access to the courtyard, Marqués de Comillas, is an important street within the urban layout of Barcelona. It crosses the trade fair center of Montjuïc and reaches the installations of Anella Olimpica, the Olympic park of Barcelona of 1992.

Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
© Felipe Ugalde
Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
© Felipe Ugalde

On the other side of the street, right in front of Casaramona, is the Pavilion of the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. This pavilion was rebuilt in 1986 on its original site.

The courtyard, built below street level, is composed of only a few limestone masonry walls and a floating pavement of large dimensions of the same material.A small enclosure, shaped by these masonry walls, known as the Secret Garden, is intended for hosting a program of outdoor exhibitions.

Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
© Felipe Ugalde
Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
© Felipe Ugalde

In addition, this limestone composition is extended into the interior of the project, forming an ample vestibule, where all the necessary programs of the entrance area are included.

The arrival to the level of the main vestibule is realized with a flight of stairs, an escalator, or an elevator.

The protection of these mechanical devices has been realized with a sculptural structure known as "Tetsuju" (iron tree), made of weathering steel with a glass cover.

Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
© Felipe Ugalde
Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
© Felipe Ugalde

This metallic structure evokes modernist Catalonia, with the employment of this iron product technique.


Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
Scale model
Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
Scale model


Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
Section
Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
Section
Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
Section
Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
Site


Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
Floor plan
Centro Cultural Caixa Forum Barcelona
Floor plan

Arata Isozaki & Andrea Maffei Associati, S.r.l.
T +39 02 87386348 F +39 02 87386349
Arata Isozaki & Andrea Maffei Associati, S.r.l.
Via Brera, 9, 20121 Milano MI, Italy