The Architects’ Association of Catalonia (COAC) and Casa Batlló have signed a collaboration agreement to work together in the organization and promotion of activities that contribute to bringing architecture closer to the public and, specifically, the work of Antoni Gaudí.
The collaboration aims to strengthen the links between both entities and, in this way, create synergies in architecture, heritage, and sustainable development.
The collaboration was official on March 20 with the signing of the agreement by Sandra Bestraten, president of the COAC’s Barcelona branch, and Gary Gautier, general manager of Casa Batlló.
Of this initiative, Sandra Bestraten highlights “the opportunity for the dissemination and approach of architecture to society that both entities join forces in this line.” She also emphasizes the “satisfaction of doing it hand in hand with an organization that represents the symbolic work of one of the leading architects in our country, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In this line, Gary Gautier emphasizes “the importance of quality architecture in Barcelona, which is one of the main reasons for national and international tourists to visit the city.”
On the occasion of the new collaboration, on June 21, COAC’s Barcelona Board of Directors held its monthly meeting at Casa Batlló. The panel also served to continue weaving links between the two institutions and take a tour of the spaces of this UNESCO World Heritage building, a tasting of the innovative immersive experience thousands of people have already enjoyed since 2021.
Joint activities
Among other actions included in the agreement, Casa Batlló will collaborate in the COAC’s ‘Architecture in the Classroom’ program, a series of architecture workshops and talks held in educational centers. Through this program, launched in 2019, students in primary and secondary schools learn to observe, think and act following the thread of the architecture of their immediate surroundings.
The COAC will also participate in the Casa Batlló educational program and organize a specific conference about the House at the COAC’s headquarters in Barcelona’s Plaça Nova.
The COAC
The College of Architects of Catalonia is an institution with a history of more than ninety years, during which it has established itself in our society as a benchmark of national and international prestige.
The mission of the Association is to defend and disseminate the social value of architecture and urban planning to society and on behalf of architects, providing instruments to promote it and enhance its quality in Catalonia.