1992

Abstract
The 1992 Games were perhaps the most-successful modern Olympics. More than
9,300 athletes representing 169 countries participated. For the first time in three
decades, there was no boycott. The dramatic political changes that had swept
across eastern Europe had a tremendous effect on the Olympics..
 Location

Situation
The Barcelona Olympic Games played a critical role instigating various regeneration
plans in the city.
• There was no representive waterfront established which would involve a marina,
restaurants, beaches or cultural attractions.
• Before the Olympic Games, there was not enough infrastructure to cater for the
leading international sporting event.

Objectives
• Change from a typical
industrial city into an
exciting, flexible and
cultural core.
• Improve the urban
quality of life
• Restructure the
waterfront and make it
open to the public.
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The urban planning was structured into the completion of 12

projects scattered across the city:
• Four were directly related to the Olympic infrastructure and led to a clear
improvement of four of the city’s neighbourhoods.
The other projects were linked to the amelioration of transport.
• The opening up to the sea.
• Housing and services.
• Involved the ring-roads.
• The Illa Diagonal shopping centre.
• The Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA).
• The Glòries square.
• And Port Vell and Maremágnum.
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ľhe Olympic zones in Baícelona

1, Olympic village
2, Montjuı¨c
3, Diagonal
4, Vall d'Hebíon
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ľhe Olympic zones in Baícelona

1, Olympic village
2, Montjuı¨c
3, Diagonal
4, Vall d'Hebíon
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Olympic village plan
Year: 1989-1992
Main Architects: Josep Martorell, Oriol Bohigas, David Mackay y Albert
Puigdomènech
Location: Barcelona (Spain)
Description: Consultancy to the top management in the election of
building systems for fast track execution, 1850 units in 20 months.
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Montjuic

• In the Montjuïc area you will find several sports facilities, built in occasion
of the Olympic Games of Barcelona in 1992.
• This area is called Olympic Ring and is situated behind the Museu Nacional
d’Art de Catalunya, reachable by following l’Avinguda de L’ Estadi.
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Montjuic master plan

Montjuic Main roads

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Montjuic Olympic area

Montjuic Olympic area master plan

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Montjuic Olympic area zonning

Rugby Swimming pool Covered hall

football University Softball Camp

Land mark plaza Baseball camp

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Rugby
stadium Swimming pool

University plaza stadium

Baseball
camp Land mark
football
Softball
Camp Covered hall

stadium

Residental
area
Open
& parking
hockey
 strategy
Assets
Barcelona could take advantage of its own qualities and redevelop
its existing open spaces.
• There was 11.400.000 USD available for the renewal of the City.
• Rich urban and architectural heritage.
• Barcelona had historical city contours and good potential in the
quality of the landscape.
 strategy

strategy
• Hosting the Olympic Games was used as the driving force in the renewal of the
city.
• Since the nomination, all projects were forced to develop quickly and urgently to
a deadline.This led to a change in pace and scale.
• A strong political and local leadership with flexible planning.
• The Olympic events were located in the four vertexes of the city
 strategy

Actions
In preparation for the games, a large number of emergency projects
needed to be implemented such as squares and schools. Sports
infrastructure, conditioning and facilities only represented 9.1% of
the total investment in the Olympic Games.
• The urban planning model spanned from “acupuncture-urban-
planning” to large infrastructural developments such as ring roads
and an airport which would improve accessibility.
• Even after the olympics the celebration of a new event in 2004,
the Universal Forum of Cultures, allowed a new and larger set of
urban changes such as the further transformation of the Olympic
Village of Poblenou.
strategy
 Impact

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CITY

• **Clearing up the city **for the thousands of visitors, millions if
we include viewers, is a way of using the Games as the perfect
tool to showcase the city. In Barcelona, as was the case in other
cities, dozens of historic buildings were renovated, including the
Beaulieu Palace and the Montjuic Stadium.
• At the same time, between 1987 and 1992, Barcelona was rapidly
modernized. Beaches were cleaned, new parks were built, public
transport to all areas of the city was notably improved and
telecommunications networks were deployed. Changes that
humanized the urban center. The Olympic Village of Poblenou was
also built, which is now one of the city's neighborhoods.
 Impact
• The Olympic Games Barcelona 1992 created an opportunity to connect
the districts of Barcelona that hosted the various Olympic events through
new road links, providing a lasting benefit to the population. The aim was
also to facilitate entry to the city, and to diminish traffic congestion in the
centre.
• Based on the 1976 General Metropolitan Plan, a well-coordinated system
of roads and ring roads was built to connect the four zones of the city
where the main Olympic facilities were built: Parc de Mar, Montjuïc,
Diagonal and Vall d'Hebron. Ronda de Dalt and Ronda Litoral were the
two main ring roads that connected the sites during the Olympic Games,
helping to avoid traffic congestion in the city centre. These roads also
facilitated the installation of 41km of service galleries that provided utility
services (electricity, telephone networks and gas), with utility companies
financially involved in the works.
• Today, after more than 25 years of continued development, these roads
can no longer completely absorb the growing flow of the city’s vehicles.
To face the present traffic problems, the Barcelona Urban Mobility Plan
2013-2018 has laid down guidelines in matters of mobility for the city in
the coming years, with a strong focus on sustainability.
 Impact

• Much of the feel good factor was down to the numerous new sites
Barcelona now boasted, along with a host of renovated districts and
buildings.