1995 – Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona

The Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) is part of a cultural axis of buildings designed to open up the Raval area for rejuvenation. During the run-up to the Olympics, prominent architects were hired for work in Barcelona and Richard Meier was commissioned to design the gallery and plaza.

Like much of his work, MACBA is a series of white volumes with large amounts of glazing providing transparency into the building. The interior has a ramp accessing all floor set behind the glazing of the main facade. This glazing has brise soleil across it to try and minimise the glare inside.

The building is not without considerable faults for a gallery: due to the bright light of the region, windows had to be blacked out, skylights closed; and columned spaces had to be subdivided to provide hanging space. Unfortunetly, neither the facades nor the civic space have worn particularly well.