Located in the rundown district of the Raval, the museum of contemporary
art of Barcelona creates a dialogue between the quarter's historic urban
fabric and contemporary art. The labyrinthine nature of the pre-existing
streets in the district is reflected in the building's organisation,
most notably in the main entrance. A pedestrian passageway runs parallel
from the museum's back garden to a newly created square in front of the
museum, known as the Plaça dels Àngels, and links to a pedestrian
network running throughout the old city. The gentle curve of this
thoroughfare underscores the centrifugal movement of the cylindrical
lobby and describes a fifth facade, connecting the geometries of the
museum to an urban context characterised by skewed intersections and the
domes of ancient churches. As befits an institution devoted to modern
and contemporary art, the striking modernity of the museum's
architecture fuses with the accumulated history of the surroundings.