The exhibition of the final degree projects from UIC Barcelona School of Architecture was inaugurated on Thursday, 19 July, in the Museu Marítim, one of the most important civil gothic-style buildings in Barcelona. Entitled “Barcel/on/a/line. Green urban strategies from river to river”, the exhibition made up of 16 projects by fifth-year Architecture students proposes a reimagining of the public spaces on the 10-kilometre stretch of coastline connecting the rivers Besòs and Llobregat with the aim of safeguarding the civic nature of the seafront and its connection with the neighbouring urban fabric.

Taking the reference of a seafront, which up until now has only been reclaimed in sections, the future architects are proposing a unitary, metropolitan reimagining of the seafront to allow it to fulfil its social, environmental and economic functions. In order to do this, some of the proposals include constructing greenhouses and basins on the former bed of the river Llobregat for the intensive production of seaweed, aquaculture and agriculture; creating a drug development and research centre for alternative and natural medicine in the Costa i Llobera gardens in Montjuïc; or reconverting Barcelona Zoo. The projects were led this year by Iñaki Baquero, Marta García-Orte, Eva Damià, Mamen Domingo and Ernest Ferré.

The public opening event took place from 7 p.m. onwards and included an institutional welcome given by the director of UIC Barcelona School of Architecture, Josep Lluís i Ginovart. Afterwards, an inter-expert dialectic meeting took place which sought to encourage reflection on the present and future of the Barcelona coastline. Participating in the event were Itziar González Virós, architect and activist; Jordi Julià, coordinator of the Knowledge Area of the Civil Engineers of Catalonia Association; Francesc Muñoz, lecturer in Urban Geography at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; and Maria Sisternas, co-founder of Mediaurban and contributor to Ara newspaper. A number of topics were discussed during the debate, such as the appropriateness of involving the academic world in actions providing a real stage for territorial problems of today. 

The exhibition can be visited at the Museu Marítim until 26 July.