VIRTUAL Barcelona

Abstract

Sport and cultural mega events present an opportunity to elicit a wide range of tangible and intangible manifestations in cities that often exceed the lifespan of the event itself. Host cities to such events provide a platform, backdrop, and focal point for festivity that extends beyond the confines of any particular or singular building: with the city serving as a stage to characterise the event, embodying the culture and heritage of the city through the collective of historic and contemporary architecture. Designing spaces and places able to perform effectively for two opposing functions (short-term, largescale events, and long-term, continual community use) is a unique typology that poses a major challenge for architects and urban planners. The award to the Olympic Games to Barcelona in 1992 provided an impetus for the city to advance an urban redevelopment strategy that existed before the host city nomination and continued after the Games had ended. The strategy facilitated major transformation of the public realm, expansion of amenities, regeneration of the economy, and global repositioning of the city to promote its status, setting a benchmark for future Olympic cities. Yet, some venues remain vulnerable to the challenges of balancing the needs of the past with those of the present in architectural reuse. Through a case study of the Olympic Games in Barcelona, this paper examines the tangible and intangible, positive and negative impacts of sport and cultural mega events in shaping place in past, present and future city contexts.