23 de March de 2022
Oriol Bohigas. The architect was a leading figure in urban planning in the city and the process to open it up to the sea, as well as the way Barcelona was presented to the world during the Olympic Games in 1992.
This month’s decision by the Street Naming Commission, the body which studies proposals for names in the city’s streets and squares, will see the seafront in Barceloneta become Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta - Oriol Bohigas.
The move pays tribute to a very important figure for the city. Bohigas, who passed away at the age of 95 last November, had a key role in the pre-Olympic city, was the Councillor for Culture until 1994 and also an outstanding urban planner.
The new name responds to the desire to remember one of the main figures behind the idea of a Barcelona which is open to the sea, who helped transform the city and played an essential part in presenting Barcelona to the world during the Olympic Games of 1992.
Born in Barcelona in 1925, Bohigas graduated from the Barcelona School of Architecture in 1951 and became a Doctor of Architecture in 1963 (among many other academic merits gained here and abroad). Notable awards gained during his career include the City of Barcelona Award for International Projection in 1999, and the City of Barcelona Gold Medal for Artistic Merit in 2018. For its part, the Government of Catalonia awarded him the Cross of Sant Jordi in 1991 and the National Culture Award for Professional and Artistic Trajectory in 2011. At a state level, he received the National Architecture Award in 2008.
Bohigas was also prolific in other fields. For instance, he was a founding member of Grup Edicions 62, chair of the Fundació Miró and chair of the Ateneu Barcelonès for eight years, during which the building and the library were renovated and improved.
Recent works
More recent works carried out in Barcelona by his studio, MBM Arquitectes, include the Liceu metro station, the offices of the RBA publishing company, the Olympic Village and the Olympic Port (which won the FAD award) and the Disseny Hub building in Glòries.
