The University of Barcelona, cradle of modern architecture in Catalonia
An exhibition by the University of Barcelona revives the memory of the former School of Architecture during its years in the Historic Building and highlights its fundamental role in shaping contemporary Barcelona. “Intramurs. The Cradle of Modern Architecture in Catalonia (1872–1962)” will open to the public free of charge until the end of 2026.
An exhibition by the University of Barcelona revives the memory of the former School of Architecture during its years in the Historic Building and highlights its fundamental role in shaping contemporary Barcelona. “Intramurs. The Cradle of Modern Architecture in Catalonia (1872–1962)” will open to the public free of charge until the end of 2026.
National Archive of Catalonia.
The exhibition is of exceptional value, as it is located in the very space where architectural studies were taught for almost a century, from the late 19th century to the early 1960s. The Historic Building still preserves emblematic spaces of the School, such as the library, the director’s office and the meeting room, which are presented through photographs and exhibition materials.
The exhibition traces the origins of the School of Architecture, founded in 1871 under the direction of Elies Rogent, the architect of the UB’s Historic Building project, and its development over almost a century, a period during which generations of architects such as Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Antoni Gaudí were trained. They are the foremost exponents of Catalan Modernisme and key figures of Barcelona’s urban transformation.
As part of the Gaudí Year, the exhibition devotes special attention to the figure of this architect. Gaudí, graduated in 1878, exemplifies the impact of the School of Architecture on the development of Catalan and international architecture, and becomes one of the guiding threads of the exhibition narrative. The Historical Archive and Documentary Heritage Office holds Gaudí’s digitized student record, relating to his time at the UB’s Faculty of Sciences (1869–1872), a prerequisite for admission to the School of Architecture.
Dins de les 'Actas de las juntas de los sres.
Profesores'. ETSAB. Universitat Politècnica
de Catalunya.
A historical overview of Catalan architecture
Through the reproduction of documents, plans and photographs on panels, the exhibition highlights the close relationship between the architectural training and Barcelona’s urban, social and cultural growth. From the impetus of the Eixample to the major transformations of the 20th century, the exhibition’s journey allows one to understand how Catalan architecture has evolved in parallel with the city’s modernization.
The exhibition also highlights the figure of Mercè Serra Barenys (Barcelona, 1940), the first woman to graduate in Architecture in Catalonia (1964), a milestone that marked a turning point: at a time when architecture was an almost exclusively male domain, Serra paved the way, as the only woman in her graduating class.
Furthermore, the exhibition reclaims the Historic Building of the University of Barcelona as a key space in the construction of knowledge and as a privileged setting for this shared history between the university and the city.
With this exhibition, and as part of the institution’s 575th anniversary, the UB invites people to rediscover a living legacy that connects past and present, and to understand how architecture has been — and continues to be — a fundamental tool for interpreting and transforming the urban reality.
Timeline of the School of Architecture:
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1871. The School of Architecture is founded under the direction of Elies Rogent in the UB’s Historic Building.
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1962. The School of Architecture is moving to the UB Diagonal Campus.
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1973. The School of Architecture becomes part of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, thus closing more than a century of shared history with the UB.
“Intramurs. The Cradle of Modern Architecture in Catalonia (1872–1962)”
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Location: Second floor of the Arts Courtyard in the Historic Building of the University of Barcelona (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585, Barcelona)
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Date: from 16 April to late 2026
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Schedule: from Mondays to Fridays, from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.
Multimedia gallery
Drawing rooms. Project room. Brangulí Collection. National Archive of Catalonia.
Agustí Alcoberro, vice-rector for Culture, Heritage and Memory at the UB, during his speech at the opening of the exhibition. Beside him are Marcelino Jiménez, curator of the exhibition and professor at the Faculty of Philology and Communication, and Joan G. Burguera, dean of the same faculty.
Flickr
