The Crack is an experimental project that speculatively destroys Barcelona’s over-ground city to allow the underground to reemerge, tracing the city’s history through its past, present, and future. Barcelona’s historical catalysts—art, war, and Cerda’s urban grid—have shaped its identity, intertwining both the underground and overground.
The project focuses on the underground, formed not by architects but by people seeking shelter during wartime. In contrast, the over-ground city follows a pragmatic plan that doesn’t fully accommodate the city's organic growth. Art and war have linked these two urban fabrics, and the project imagines a "Ground Zero" where destruction and creation merge.
The intervention centers on two elements: the Refugi 307, a 450m network of wartime bunkers, and the MACBA, the contemporary art museum. These sites, connected through war and matter, represent the intersection of art, memory, and architecture. The project draws inspiration from Antoni Tàpies, whose work, deeply influenced by the destruction of Barcelona, used matter as a way to evoke history and memory. His "matterism" allows the scars of war to be treated through art, grounding the project’s exploration of war’s impact on the city.
By merging these elements, the city’s history is cracked open, revealing three urban fabrics: Cerda’s rational planning, the remnants of war, and the city’s artistic legacy. This model proposes a radical transformation of Barcelona’s urban fabric, challenging the concept of a "generic city" and creating a new inhabited layer that merges destruction with creation.