Short List

The Gabriel García Marquez Library in Barcelona, inaugurated last year and constructed solely of wood, is favourite to win the architecture prize for the best new library in the world in July from a short list of four. In anticipation, we went to visit today and would fully support its candidacy.

The outgoing local authority have invested hugely in libraries as hearts of each barrio community…lots of papers and mags to read in nice settings. They have a law that says that no citizen should be more than ten minutes from a refuge of cool air in the hot summers or warmth when it is cold outside! Let’s see what the old conservative men who have recuperated power say as they put together an unseemly coalition of parties that were not the most voted . . . it seems a step back to have the mafia families who have run Catalonia for so long back in power and who are against the creation of pedestrian space, cycle lanes and connecting the tram line through the centre of the city.

The library is in the Sant Marti area of the city so a bit of a trek for us to get there but it was nice to explore the surrounding area after and have a nice lunch.