A 200-tonne crane with a reach of up to 60 metres is carrying out the demolition of Palau 4 and the current Palau de Congressos. The rubble will be recycled on site for the construction of the new multifunctional palace, designed by Smiljan Radić (recently awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize) together with Miquel Mariné Núñez, Beatriz Borque and César Rueda Bonet.
The 20,500 m² complex will be arranged over two floors and built around a lightweight metal structure that opens up the façades and ties the building more closely into its surroundings. The scheme also includes a landscaped walkway along the Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina frontage.
The new Palau de Congressos and Palau del Vestit
Work is also under way on the current Palau Alfons XIII, where the original structure designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch will be preserved as the building is converted into Barcelona’s new Palau de Congressos. Designed by Forgas Arquitectes, Archambac (Arquitectura Sideral) and Álvaro Alejandro Fernández, the scheme includes a new entrance from Plaça de Carles Buïgas, a 6,670 m² garden courtyard and a 2,025-seat auditorium.
The former Palau del Vestit, meanwhile, will become home to a new innovation and business hub linked to the trade fair. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and MIAS Arquitectura, the project retains the colonnade and front façade on Plaça d’Espanya designed by Josep Maria Jujol. The result will be a flexible, three-storey, Z-shaped building set within landscaped grounds open to the public, incorporating a multi-purpose community facility that will add to the stock of neighbourhood spaces in Font de la Guatlla and Hostafrancs.
The new multifunctional pavilion and the refurbishment of the Palau Alfons XIII represent a combined investment of €250 million, while the redevelopment of the Palau del Vestit accounts for a further €40 million.
Once these three buildings are finished, a second phase will begin in 2029, covering the renovation of the Palau de les Comunicacions (Palau 1) and the Palau de la Metal·lúrgia (Palau 8). The whole programme is due for completion in 2035, with trade fair activity at Montjuïc continuing uninterrupted throughout.
