UB opens the doors of some of its most emblematic buildings on the occasion of the 48h Open House BCN

UB buildings that open its doors this weekend are the Historic Building, the Güell Pavilions, the Pavelló de la República and the Food and Nutrition Torribera Campus. Some guided tours are offered.

The Historic Building is, without any doubt, the most representative building of the UB. Located at Plaça Universitat, this 19th century building is designated as ʻof national cultural interestʼ and hosts the faculties of Philology and Mathematics. Guided tours take place on Saturday 25 October, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors can walk along the most interesting places (the main entrance hall, the main staircase, the quadrangles and the Paranymph) and to know its most important historical, architectural and artistic features.

The Güell Pavilions will be also opened on Saturday (Avinguda Pedralbes, 15). They were Antoni Gaudíʼs first work in Barcelona. In 1883, Eusebi Güell commissioned Gaudí to build the gatehouses of the Güell Estate. These buildings were the porterʼs quarters and the stables. The part that most attracts visitorʼs attention is the magnificent wrought-iron gate in the shape of a dragon, that connects both gatehouses; it represents the giant mythological dragon of the poem LʼAtlàntida, written by Jacint Verdaguer. Guided tours take place every hour from 10.15 a.m. to 1.15 p.m.

The Pavelló de la República (Avinguda del Cardenal Vidal i Barraquer, 34-36) can be visited on Sunday 26 October, from 11a.m. to 6 p.m. The building is a replica of the construction that architects Josep Lluís Sert and Luis Lacasa built to represent the Spanish Republic on the Paris International Exhibition of 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. A copy of Guernica by Pablo Picasso can be observed in the courtyard.

Finally, the Food and Nutrition Torribera Campus of the UB is opened on Sunday. It is located in Torribera premises, in Santa Coloma de Gramenet. To be exact, two areas of the campus can be visited: the Edifici de la Masia and the Edifici Gaudí. The Edifici de la Masia is an 18th century building that hosts the administration facilities of the campus. The Edifici Gaudi is devoted to research and is part of the art nouveau architectural ensemble that the Commonwealth of Catalonia ordered to build in order to host the ancient mental hospital. Visitors will be able to know the campus by two different ways: the guided tours that take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m., or within the route that walk around Santa Coloma de Gramanet. This free route takes place on Sunday morning; it requires previous registration.

The 48h Open House BCN: the main meeting of the city with architecture

The Open House project started in London in 1992. Since then, it has expanded to other cities which are paradigmatic of architecture and design, such as New York, Dublin, Galway, Tel Aviv, and Barcelona.

In 2013, around 50,000 people participated in the 48h Open House BCN. This fifth edition consolidates an initiative whose main objective is to bring citizens closer to the excellence of Barcelonaʼs architecture, urban development and design

For further information please visit the website 48h Open House BCN

48h Open House Barcelona 2014 from Open House Barcelona on Vimeo.