Barcelona Valenta 5: Montbau. A Successful Case of a Housing Estate

Montbau is the most significant medium-scale modern intervention in the city: an orthogonal neighborhood, beautifully located, which, without renouncing an abstract and orthogonal language, incorporates natural and artificial flows into its composition and achieves great coherence despite multiple interventions over time. This is due to the brilliance and boldness of its planning.

Scale is the key: the dimensions of streets, squares, parks, as well as the height and depth of buildings. The project is defined in relation to the topography. In the lower area, a flat square hovers above the terrain and serves as a meeting point. Public buildings —especially the market— help resolve level differences. Buildings perpendicular to the slope are taller and do not obstruct one another.

The planning and much of the architecture, including public buildings, are the work of Giráldez, López Iñigo, and Subias. It is their most accomplished project and their masterpiece. Prefabricated towers by Antoni Bonet Castellana are also present. Manuel Baldrich (a remarkable yet little-known architect) and Soteras also built there; despite his political context, Soteras was a highly skilled architect. There is also a series of lower-scale buildings —library and church— by the notable architects Vayreda and Montgió, members of Group R. It is documented that the church was once commissioned to Le Corbusier, who declined due to being in the final stage of his life.

Public buildings are surrounded by parkland, connect directly with the ground, and demonstrate an even more refined handling of scale than the rest of the neighborhood.

Finally, there is a later phase by the outstanding architect Joan Bosch Agustí, a specialist in cooperative housing who also designed the home of Pasqual Maragall. His buildings are the finest in the neighborhood, with architecture of exceptional quality. They are located at the back, on the slopes of Collserola, where the terrain passes beneath them.

Nearby, the Mundet campus (where Baldrich was more involved) is also of high architectural quality.

Guide architect: Jaume Prat Ortell

Collaborating resident: Manolo Laguillo (to be confirmed)