In this first stage, the catalogue focuses on the modern and contemporary architecture designed and built between 1832 –year of construction of the first industrial chimney in Barcelona that we establish as the beginning of modernity– until today.
The project is born to make the architecture more accessible both to professionals and to the citizens through a website that is going to be updated and extended. Contemporary works of greater general interest will be incorporated, always with a necessary historical perspective, while gradually adding works from our past, with the ambitious objective of understanding a greater documented period.
The collection feeds from multiple sources, mainly from the generosity of architectural and photographic studios, as well as the large amount of excellent historical and reference editorial projects, such as architectural guides, magazines, monographs and other publications. It also takes into consideration all the reference sources from the various branches and associated entities with the COAC and other collaborating entities related to the architectural and design fields, in its maximum spectrum.
Special mention should be made of the incorporation of vast documentation from the COAC Historical Archive which, thanks to its documental richness, provides a large amount of valuable –and in some cases unpublished– graphic documentation.
The rigour and criteria for selection of the works has been stablished by a Documental Commission, formed by the COAC’s Culture Spokesperson, the director of the COAC Historical Archive, the directors of the COAC Digital Archive, and professionals and other external experts from all the territorial sections that look after to offer a transversal view of the current and past architectural landscape around the territory.
The determination of this project is to become the largest digital collection about Catalan architecture; a key tool of exemplar information and documentation about architecture, which turns into a local and international referent, for the way to explain and show the architectural heritage of a territory.
We kindly invite you to help us improve the dissemination of Catalan architecture through this space. Here you can propose works and provide or amend information on authors, photographers and their work, along with adding comments. The Documentary Commission will analyze all data. Please do only fill in the fields you deem necessary to add or amend the information.
The Arxiu Històric del Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya is one of the most important documentation centers in Europe, which houses the professional collections of more than 180 architects whose work is fundamental to understanding the history of Catalan architecture. By filling this form, you can request digital copies of the documents for which the Arxiu Històric del Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya manages the exploitation of the author's rights, as well as those in the public domain. Once the application has been made, the Arxiu Històric del Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya will send you an approximate budget, which varies in terms of each use and purpose.
Large house made up of several buildings and a chapel. It is built of brick and oriented towards the rising sun. The oldest part, corresponds to the current cellar and retains some pointed Gothic arches. The main block is rectangular in plan, has an attached lookout tower and consists of a ground floor and two floors. The main façade has a porch at the entrance and the openings have wrought iron grills. The deck is flat with a balustrade rail. As for the interior, we must highlight the wooden railing of the staircase, with Renaissance and Baroque decorative elements. The patio is from the end of the 19th century – then, it became a garden with Italian sculptures of gods.
The origin of the country house dates back to the 14th century. It is known that it already existed in 1350 under the name of Mas d'en Pi. From the 14th to the 18th century, this house was owned, in a direct line, by the descendants of the founder of the manor house, the Comelles family, who had very illustrious characters as guests, even members of royalty. Later, the administration of the property passed to the community of priests of the parish church of Esparreguera. The chapel is from 1717.
Manor house consisting of several buildings and a chapel, built of brick and facing west. The oldest part, made of masonry, corresponds to the current cellar and retains pointed Gothic arches. The main block, with a rectangular plan and an attached lookout tower, has a ground floor and two floors. The main façade has a porch at the entrance and openings with wrought iron bars. The roof is leveled with a balustrade rail. The interior, where the wooden railing of the staircase should be highlighted, has Renaissance and Baroque elements. The courtyard became a garden with Italian-style sculptures, pergolas and fountains at the end of the 20th century. The chapel is also located here.
It already existed in 1350 with the name of Pi's manor house. In 1750, Joan Francesc Comelles established that a part of the produce of the estate was to be given to the parish for worship and for the family's intentions. A conventual mass was said on a daily basis for the Comelles. Currently, the parish receives a few cents from this legacy. When the first stone was laid in 1587, the rector was a Comelles and when it was consecrated, in 1612, the rector was a nephew of the Comelles. Kings and queens stayed at Can Comelles when they went to Montserrat. In exchange for the right to collect water from the mountain range, the owner of Can Comelles offered the city council the advantage of opening up his gardens and the Passeig dels Boixos so that the people of Esparreguera could take a walk. From the 15th century to the 18th century, this house was owned in a direct line by the descendants of the manor's founder. Later, the administration of the property passed to the community of priests of the parish church of Esparreguera.