Barcelona Metropolis

The MACBA’s expansion and the relocation of the CAP Raval Nord health centre to the former chapel of La Misericòrdia come with plans for redesigning the Plaça dels Àngels square, which are still in progress. Barcelona City Council has put forward initial proposals to add more greenery and encourage neighbourhood activities to reduce the dominance of skateboarders. This urban planning debate overlaps with a deeper and more complex reflection on the purpose of this “concrete square” in today’s Ciutat Vella.

Few places embody the underlying tensions of Barcelona quite like the Plaça dels Àngels. It’s on the verge of a new chapter, and once again, it will be through architecture and with much debate. It’s in its DNA!

The square came into being in 1995 as part of the municipal effort to “regenerate” Ciutat Vella. It was an intervention rooted in the 1980s when Oscar Tusquets and Lluís Clotet envisaged, in their innovative plan “Del Liceu al Seminari” [From the Liceu Opera House to the Seminary], the potential for a walkable route within the old quarter. However, the square’s final appearance owes much to the choice of iconic architecture for the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) contemporary art museum. Richard Meier designed a building so charismatic that it has shaped its entire surroundings. It even earned the nickname “the MACBA square”. Skaters from around the world have appropriated it, and it’s a must-visit for tourists. The ensemble has become emblematic – and, at times, caricatural – of a certain vision of Barcelona as a cosmopolitan and contemporary city. Meanwhile, locals have not found it particularly useful for everyday life. They complain about the challenging coexistence among users, the noise and the lack of civility.

If that weren’t enough, in the last decade, there has been a fierce struggle between the museum and the CAP Raval Nord health centre, housed in a listed building from the 1930s. Both sought to expand into the area’s only large vacant building, the former chapel of La Misericòrdia: a rivalry laden with political undertones, a zero-sum game and highly publicised. The result is the reinvention of Plaça dels Àngels, once again driven by the tensions it generates. The MACBA will claim a portion of public space, closest to the Convent dels Àngels, while the health centre will repurpose the disused church that “encloses” the square on the Carrer de Montalegre street side.

Three projects in one

On 4 March, the municipal government, led by Jaume Collboni, announced the new phase and scheduled it. In 2024, work will commence on two new components. The new health centre in June will cover 2,500 m² and is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. The MACBA annex received initial approval this May, paving the way for tendering and commencing construction in November. By January 2027, it should be completed, providing 2,110 m² of new rooms and a 349 m² terrace-viewpoint open to the public. Both projects have significant budgets: €16.3 million and €13.85 million, respectively. In addition, the City Council plans to reconsider the ground floor of the Meier building, covering about 1,100 m². It is exploring options to incorporate vegetation and trees through flower beds, as the underground space is currently used for parking. While not explicitly mentioning skaters, the mayor has made it clear that the aim is to prevent monopolistic use.

In less than 24 hours, the platform “No a la ampliación del MACBA” [No to the MACBA Expansion] issued a statement denouncing the loss of public space, attributing it to “pressures from lobbies and the bourgeoisie”, referring to the private ownership of many museum works. The residents themselves took the urban planning process, approved unanimously by the City Council in 2020, to court. This legal action opens the door to unexpected plot twists, as seen in the recent rulings against the Superblock. The skater collective, lacking clear associations or spokespeople, oscillates between criticism and indifference. When approached by journalists and asked, the most frequent visitors to the square respond that they too are an attraction and that they do not do anyone any harm.

How should the square be redesigned?

For this article, four architects with extensive experience in the city examine the proposed renovation. Ignacio Paricio, who restored the Convent dels Àngels in 1984 alongside Lluís Clotet and Carles Díaz, reflects on the original project that included a garden that never came to fruition. This garden was planned for the lower ground where the MACBA annex will now be constructed. “It was a measure to protect the apse from vandalism and prevent it from becoming a urinal”, he recalls. He argues that “the concept of the ‘concrete square’ was imposed by Richard Meier, who convinced Pasqual Maragall. Meier wanted to claim every inch of the pavement as a podium to showcase the building”.

He would have preferred the square to have “a more relaxed atmosphere and to be a haven of peace” for the neighbourhood. “Now it’s used for aggressive sports instead of public enjoyment”, he laments. He has missed, for example, shade to shelter from the summer sun. He also feels the connection with the Plaça de Joan Coromines square has been “neglected”, through a passage on the museum’s ground floor: “It was important to maintain the pedestrian route in the Del Liceu al Seminari plan”. He asserts that Tusquets and Clotet’s plan was “visionary”, as it anticipated the importance of walking and urban greenery. Although the annex “will hide the medieval facade” they restored, he trusts that its authors, Harquitectes, “will do it very well”.

The Dean of the College of Architects of Catalonia (COAC), Guim Costa, has been living in El Gòtic quarter for 25 years and loves the Plaça dels Àngels: “It’s such a joy, with so much international appeal!”. Nonetheless, he admits that “the harmony has been somewhat disrupted” and that he crosses it “quickly” because he feels like he’s “getting in the way”. That’s why he considers it “commendable” that the City Council takes the opportunity to “review the entire area” in order to “rationalise its use” and ensure that “residents don’t miss out” with the works. He views the architectural proposal positively – “The MACBA expansion will go well” – and is pleased that the City Council has shared its proposals with Meier’s office. “Buildings have authorship, and it’s very important to consult the original architects when making modifications”, he points out.

Jaume Carné, president of the Senior Architects Association, believes there’s no need to revamp the square. As a resident of El Raval, he’s never been bothered by the skaters. In fact, he confidently states that he’ll take his granddaughter to learn how to ride a bicycle there “without any concerns”. “If they want to change its use, they should just go ahead and do it, instead of installing obstacles and planters that spoil the view of the facades!”, he exclaims. “Changing the essence of a concrete square is very difficult; you need vegetation of a scale that you won’t be able to install, and you’ll end up with a half-hearted intervention”, he predicts. Instead, he suggests looking at the Plaça de Terenci Moix square, also known as the basketball court on Carrer de Valldonzella, as a priority for improvement: “They should fix that one, which is bleak and exposed, and leave the Plaça dels Àngels as it is”. As a user of the CAP Raval Nord, he would prefer the current rationalist building to retain its healthcare function, “just like the Peracamps CUAP [primary care emergency centre] has two locations in Drassanes”. If not, he would allocate it to offices and rooms for the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB).

Pere Cabrera led the Ciutat Vella Integrated Rehabilitation Unit (1985), which developed the special plans for El Raval, Barceloneta and the old town. He is therefore very familiar with the origins of the square. “Losing public space is always a concern, given how challenging it is to obtain it, but in Ciutat Vella, we need to weigh many factors”, he reflects. “As obstacles are introduced, skaters will leave, and residents will gain metres of public space, even if it means losing some to the MACBA”, he analyses. He doesn’t see introducing greenery as impossible: “Technicians will already be studying the necessary soil thickness; there has been significant progress in this area”. However, he cautions that both the Plaça dels Àngels and the chapel of La Misericòrdia “are part of ensembles” that must maintain coherence. The future health centre is part of an area that includes the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) and an orange tree courtyard, which “should be able to interact”. He also highlights the Plaça de Terenci Moix square and the old GATCPAC [Group of Catalan Architects and Technicians for the Advancement of Contemporary Architecture] anti-tuberculous dispensary: “It is essential for Barcelona’s architecture, but its surroundings still need to be completed”.