Forum Building

From Freepedia

Image:Forumbuilding.JPG The Forum Building, designed by the Swiss architects Jaques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron (Herzog & de Meuron), is considered by some to be an icon of the "New Barcelona". However, local opinion on its aesthetic and functional merits is deeply divided.

It is a triangular building measuring 180 meters on each side and 25 meters in height, located within the triangle formed by Diagonal Avenue, Rambla de Prim and the Ronda Litoral.

It was the symbol of the controversial 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures and the serious flaws that arose during its construction were widely covered in both the Spanish national and foreign press (see Guardian article). The building has lain empty since the Forum and is beginning to show marked deterioration. The edifice has also become a political bone of contention, with the opposition parties in both Barcelona Council and the Parliament of Catalonia demanding to know why it cost so much (of the order of US $144 m).

The building has an auditorium with a seating capacity of 3,200, and an exhibition hall covering nearly 5,000 m2.