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Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 1)
Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 2)
Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 3)
Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 4)
Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 5)
Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 6)
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Barcelona’s Old Town: Hans Geilinger (Thumbnail)
Hans Geilinger
Barcelona, Girona, Olot

Swiss architect based in Barcelona since 1993, founder of Guiding Architects Barcelona and co-founder of the international association Guiding Architects. His work focuses on architecture as a cultural, political, and economic expression of society. He has taught at ETH Zurich, La Salle Barcelona, HafenCity University in Hamburg, and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

Author of academic publications on the architecture of Barcelona, he has led research projects on urban interfaces in Switzerland and in collaboration with the Technological University of Havana in Cuba.

Barcelona’s Old Town: Lorenzo Kárász (Thumbnail)
Lorenzo Kárász
Barcelona, Girona, Olot

Born in Vienna with Italian and Hungarian roots, Lorenzo is an architecture communicator, architect, and architectural photographer based in Barcelona since 2009. He studied architecture at the Technical University of Vienna and ETSAB in Barcelona, and collaborated with Austrian and Catalan studios on projects in rehabilitation, landscape, and urban planning.

Since 2013, he has directed Guiding Architects Barcelona, organizing architecture tours, courses, and lectures. He also curates exhibitions, writes about Barcelona’s architectural culture, and collaborates with universities, public administrations, and cultural institutions. Lorenzo serves on the board of ARQUIN-FAD (Interdisciplinary Association of Space Design) and the Guiding Architects network.

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Tour in Barcelona:
Barcelona’s Old Town

Heritage, Adaptive Reuse, and Sustainable Regeneration

This tour explores Barcelona’s Old Town, from Roman Barcino to the contemporary city, focusing on urban regeneration and the preservation of historic identity. Visitors will see how interventions have reshaped public spaces, improved civic facilities, and fostered a livable, vibrant district.

The tour highlights culture as a catalyst for urban transformation, the adaptive reuse of historic buildings, and the 1980s “urban surgery” that brought light, air, and new public spaces to dense medieval streets. Contemporary strategies such as sponge city measures and increased permeability further enhance environmental resilience and create green, socially engaging spaces.

Through these layers of history and urban intervention, the tour illustrates how heritage, planning, and contemporary design continue to shape Barcelona’s historic heart.

– Duration: Available as half or full-day tour
– Transport: Walking tour
– Services: Experienced local architect as guide
– Languages: Spanish, Catalan, English, German, French, Italian
– Group size: max. 20pax per guide

Selection of included projects:

  • Centre Cívic Pati Llimona | Community centre. Ignasi de Solà-Morales. 1991

  • Basílica Santa María del Mar | Berenguer de Montagut. 1329-83

  • Mercat del Born | Museum. Rafael de Cáceres Zurita, Enric Sòria Badia. 2012 | Historic market hall. Josep Fontserè i Mestre. 1876

  • Mercat de Santa Caterina | Market hall. EMBT Enric Miralles + Benedetta Tagliabue. 2005

  • MACBA | Museum. Richard Meier. 1995

  • CCCB | Cultural centre. Albert Viaplana + Helio Piñón. 1994

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Guiding Architects
Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 7)

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Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 8)
Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 9)
Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 10)
Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 11)
Guiding Architects, tour: Barcelona’s Old Town (Fig. 12)
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