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The COAC hosts a conference on Gaudí's legacy and his dialogue with China
Barcelona commemorates the Year of Gaudí 2026 with a meeting between architects, researchers and artists to project Gaudí's work into the future and strengthen the ties between Catalonia and China.
As part of the commemoration of the Year of Gaudí 2026, which celebrates the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, the auditorium of the College of Architects of Catalonia (COAC) in Barcelona hosted a conference dedicated to the architect's legacy and his contemporary projection. Promoted by the Barcelona and Girona branches of the COAC, by MIAS Architects —under the direction of architect and AIA Honorary Fellow Josep Miàs— and Dr. María José Masnou, architect and researcher, the meeting was conceived as a space for shared reflection between Catalonia and China on Gaudí's work.
The session linked Barcelona 2026 and Beijing 2029, both venues of the World Capital of Architecture promoted by the UIA, with the aim of strengthening international ties and promoting the exchange of knowledge between diverse architectural contexts. The institutional welcome was given by Sandra Bestraten, dean of the COAC, who briefly presented the interactive tool Constellation Gaudí , a proposal that visualizes the relationships between Gaudí and his collaborators over time.
The day also included speeches by Iñigo Ugalde, director of the School of Architecture at UIC Barcelona; Ricard Planas, founder and CEO of Bonart; and Josep Miàs, director and founder of MIAS Architects. The international core of the meeting was led by Chinese architects Liu Yulong, president of the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University Co., Ltd., and Wang Jian, general director of The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University, who provided different perspectives on the reception and reinterpretation of Gaudí in the Chinese context.
The day ended with a round table moderated by Kevin Zhang, from the Beijing Institute of Architects (BIA), Josep Miàs and María José Masnou, with the participation of the two Chinese speakers, as well as the artist and sculptor Jordi Barbany, craftsman, and Mercè Riba, sculptor and artist. The conversation delved into the dialogue between China and Catalonia and the validity of Gaudí's work as a shared heritage and source of inspiration for contemporary architectural practice.
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