Barcelona has unveiled a monumental tribute to its urban landscape: a sprawling, interactive 3D model that captures the city in meticulous detail. Inaugurated this Saturday by Mayor Jaume Collboni, the model serves as a centrepiece for Barcelona’s tenure as the UNESCO World Capital of Architecture for 2026.
Housed in the former Editorial Gustavo Gili headquarters-now a hub for the city’s architectural and urban planning activities-the installation is far more than a museum exhibit. It is designed as a dynamic tool to help citizens and planners alike visualise the metropolis’s past, present, and future.
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A Metropolitan Puzzle
The Pla de Barcelona 2026-2035 model is a feat of modern engineering and digital craftsmanship. Covering 84 square metres at a scale of 1:1,500, it represents a vast territory stretching from the Collserola mountains to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the Besòs river to the Llobregat delta.
Unlike traditional maps that stop at administrative borders, this installation reflects the reality of the metropolitan area. It encompasses 15 municipalities, representing the homes of 2.4 million people. Beyond Barcelona itself, the model includes the entirety of L’Hospitalet, Esplugues de Llobregat, and Sant Adrià de Besòs, alongside significant portions of neighbouring cities such as Badalona and Santa Coloma de Gramenet.
“We want to pay tribute to architecture and urban planning as a powerful instrument to improve people’s lives,” said Mayor Collboni during the launch. He noted that the “consolidated Barcelona is not finished” and invited the public to use the model to reflect on the city’s growth over the next decade.
Engineering the City
The construction of the Barcelona 3D model was a massive logistical undertaking led by the Barcelona City Council and financed by the Consorci de la Zona Franca. Produced at DFactory, a leading innovation hub for 3D printing and robotics, the project required over 21,000 hours of printing time using a dozen machines running simultaneously.
- Composition: 1,204 individual pieces fitting together like a puzzle.
- Material: 950 kilograms of polylactic acid, a biodegradable thermoplastic derived from vegetable starch.
- Modularity: Each piece is removable and replaceable, allowing the model to be updated as the city evolves.
Maria Buhigas, the city’s chief architect, emphasised the practical nature of the installation. “It connects the digital world with the physical, which is where we live,” she explained, describing it as a “work tool” rather than a static photograph.
Interactive and Accessible
The installation integrates technology to bring the miniature city to life. Four binocular prisms equipped with augmented reality allow visitors to overlay digital information onto the physical model. Currently, this feature highlights buildings declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO and key venues for the World Capital of Architecture events.
Inclusivity has also been a priority. Alongside the main structure is a tactile model featuring differentiated reliefs and contrasting textures. This addition ensures that visually impaired visitors can also analyse the city’s urban fabric and street layout.
The unveiling kicks off a year of architectural celebration. Until mid-December, Barcelona will host over 1,500 activities-including exhibitions, debates, and workshops-aimed at positioning architecture as a shared social heritage. Therefore, the model will remain on permanent display, open to the public as a lasting legacy of 2026.
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