The 20th century was the era of design, a new way of understanding things around us, of giving functional objects originality and charm. Barcelona has been the cutting edge in industrial and architectural design and this is reflected in the city itself, making it a reference of design in Spain and indeed in Europe. Let an expert show you the buildings and design spaces you really should not miss, some changed the concept of architecture.

Your tour begins with a nod to some earlier Barcelona architecture. The Plaça Espanya is one of Barcelona's most important squares, built for the 1929 International Exhibition. It is eclectic gathering of buildings monuments and two Venetian Towers that are 154 feet high. Nearby is the Plaza de Toros Les Arenes, a bullring of Moorish Revival style that was built in 1900. It is currently being redesigned into an entertainment and shopping center. On the hill above the Plaça Espanya sits the imposing Palau Nacional, which was also built for the 1929 Exhibition. It is now home to the National Art Museum of Catalonia, a project overseen by Gae Aulenti, the Italian architect responsible for several major museum projects including the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. You will also see the Modernist (Art Nouveau) Casaramona Textile Factory at the foot of the hill. Built in 1911 of brick after a fire destroyed the first factory. It was voted the Best Building of the year in 1912.

You will then explore several structures located on Montjuic Hill. The German Pavilion was designed by an up and coming German architect by the name of Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe (Mies) at the age of 43. Mies would later immigrate to the USA where he designed several buildings in Chicago, New York’s Seagram’s building and was known for his use of the aphorisms "less is more" and "God is in the details". He is regarded as one of the pioneering masters of Modern architecture. Unfortunately, despite its enormous influence on the emerging International Style of architecture, the original 1929 pavilion building, was demolished the year after the International Exhibition when nobody wanted to buy it from the German Government. It was recreated in its original form and on the same site in 1981-1986 by the Barcelona City Council. Further up the hill you will see the Olympic Ring (Gregotti, Margarit, Milà, Buxadé) which includes the stadium, swimming pools and sports Hall from the 1992 Summer Olympics. Nearby is the Communications Tower, designed by Santiago Calatrava that resembles a piece of sculpture carved from pure white marble. In the distance, on Tibidabo hill behind the city, you can see another communication tower built for the Olympics, the Torre de Collserola designed by architect Sir Norman Foster. Another venue for the Olympics was the Palau St. Jordi designed by the Japanese architect Arata Izosaki. The indoor arena, now used for musical and sporting events, was one of the early intelligent buildings where everything can be self-graduated: temperature, light, air, sound and image screens.

Driving along the sea front, you will see the World Trade Center, a complex of four buildings that contain offices, a convention building and a hotel. The complex was designed by Henry Cobb, a founding partner of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, who also designed the Hancock building in Boston. Sculpture also plays a large part in Barcelona’s landscape. As you continue on you will see El Cap de Barcelona, a surrealist sculpture created by American Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein for the 1992 games. It was his first outdoor work using ceramic tile (a nod to Gaudi.) You will also see Frank O Gehry’s sculpture “Fish” near the Olympic Port. The port was designed for the Olympics and built in only two years using prefabricated materials. It won a FAD ward in 1992. Nearby, overlooking the port area is the Hotel Arts building. The tallest building in Barcelona, it was designed by Bruce J Graham, architect of the Sears Tower in Chicago. Keep your eyes open for the round two-story Centre de Meteorologia, a weather center built in 1992, and the Abraham Centre which is shaped like a fish.

Fòrum 2004 was a meeting of people from around the world to talk about peace, tolerance, diversity, and sustainability. The Forum building by the Swiss architects, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, is a large, navy blue triangle, the roof of which is covered with a layer of water to shield against the sun, reflecting its rays and minimizing heat absorption. The complex also includes the Forum Park Bathing Area, the Forum Square with one of the biggest wastewater treatment works in Europe underneath, and the Photovoltaic panel, the largest urban solar panel on the continent. Nearby is the Hotel Princess (Oscar Tusquets) and the Park Diagonal Mar which is a park or modern art or both. You will also see the Plaça de les Glòries which was designed to be the city center in a 1960s urban plan that never happened. Today it is undergoing a renaissance.

Turning towards the city center, you cannot miss Jean Nouvel’s AGBAR Tower, one of the latest additions to the city’s skyline. The tower, built of cement, has more than 4,500 windows, is covered with glass, and is lit with an innovative LED system of lights. In addition, it has temperature sensors that regulate the opening and closing of the window blinds, reducing the consumption of energy for air conditioning. The Plaça de les Arts de Barcelona, is a complex of two separate structures. The Teatre Nacional de Catalunya (TNC) is the work of Ricard Bofill and is in the style of an ancient Greek Temple. Beside the theatre is the Auditori de Barcelona by Navarrian architect Rafael Moneo. American Sculptress Beverly Pepper led the design team that shaped The Parc de L'Estació del Nord. She used large geometric forms covered in blue and white tiles to define both positive and negative spaces.

Drawing closer to the center of town, you will pass through the El Raval neighborhood. It is also known as Barri xinés, meaning "Chinatown." Although it is currently the home to a very diverse immigrant and is also becoming one of the hippest up-and-coming neighborhoods of Barcelona where many artists live and work. Here, you will see Helio Piñón, Albert Viaplana’s Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, or CCCB, a building that is a mixture of old and new styles, dating from the early 18th century. It houses a museum and cultural center. Across the way is Richard Meier’s Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) The main building’s architectural style has strong references to Modernism while opposite the museum, is another part of the museum in a medieval Convent. The perfect summary for a Barcelona architecture tour, old and new in harmony.