Dutch architect to design new Barcelona district

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An international jury has asked the Dutch architect Kees Kaan to design a new neighbourhood on the outskirts of Barcelona. Kaan created the winning design for a neighbourhood in the municipality of El Prat, which lies between the airport and the centre of the Spanish city.

The jury, consisting of ten international architects, praised the entry of Kees Kaan and his Catalan colleague Jaume Carné because it expresses a grandeur which matches that of Barcelona. Kaan: "We are glad that the Catalan influence in our team is evident. We deliberately chose a modern approach that continues in the spirit of the Catalan style."


IJburg with a touch of Catalonia
Central Prat is inspired to a degree by Amsterdam's brand new IJburg district which was built on reclaimed land and designed in part by Claus en Kaan Architecten. However the new neighbourhood near Barcelona will be an IJburg with a Catalan touch. You will not see traces of Gaudi, Barcelona's most famous architect, but Central Prat's streets will remind one for example of Barcelona's ninexxxxth-century shopping district with its wide avenues. Kaan: "In this sense El Prat will be the mirror image of Barcelona."

The new district lies on the Avinguda de la Gran Via, which leads directly from the airport to the centre of Barcelona. Part of the Gran Via will pass under a park. Those who travel from the airport to Barcelona will be able to choose between taking the highway under the tunnel or travelling through El Prat.


Although Central Prat will contain 5,000 houses, a large park, two underground stations, hotels and restaurants, it will still be first and foremost a green neighbourhood. The apartment buildings will have green inner courtyards and roofs. Solar panels on the roofs will provide heating and cooling. A 70-hectare park - which will cover roads and railway tracks - will arise along the Llobregat river.

It is not yet possible to buy an apartment in the new neighbourhood. The Dutch architect expects that it will take around 20 years before the entire project is completed. "However, the first concrete results will be visible in five years."
 

  
By Ralph Rozema