Barcelona, the city of progress, design and architecture will soon extend this vision to the district of Les Corts in the form of the British architect’s new design for the football stadium. The new Camp Nou will reflect the past, present and future of Barcelona, Catalonia and modernity’s architectural identity.

Three sources of inspiration

In the words of Norman Foster himself on the day that the model of Barça’s new home was presented, three main elements inspired his restructuring project: the club’s history, the stadium itself and the link between Barcelona, its city and its country. Taken together, this inspiration is manifested in the form a Gaudi-esque mosaic on the façade and roof that will offer dramatic effects at night and pleasant, bright colours by day.

Local influence

Foster’s intention was for the new Camp Nou to be an icon, and at the same time a tribute to Catalan architecture in the form of an allegory to Barcelona and Catalonia. Foster’s inspirations are a synthesis of different traditional and modern influences taken from constructions that already exist in the city, and that help ensure that the Camp Nou will remain an essential part of any sightseeing tour of the city of Barcelona.

In this sense, the international recognition acquired by Barcelona as a result of the Olympic Games in 1992 is particularly worthy of mention. Since the city was announced as the host, Barcelona pulled out all the stops to seduce the world. It has been mainly since then that Barcelona, through such buildings as the Torre de Collserola and the Torre Agbar, among many others, has transformed as it continues to hold major events. The city and its main thoroughfares have been transformed as a result of these events, although its icons are not the cause of this transformation, but rather the consequence.