The new building of the La Masana School of the Arts, founded in 1929, is located next to its original location - the historic Hospital of the Holy Cross in Barcelona's Old Town, in the Raval district. The Carme Pinos building appeared on Gardunha Square, on the contrary, a complex with state and commercial apartments is being built according to the project of her own bureau, that is, the space next to the Ramblas, which simultaneously belongs to the townspeople and is filled with tourists, is acquiring a new look. Also entering the square is the Boqueria market, for which Pinos designed an underground garage and a loading and unloading area. The design of the square and the school itself were the subject of a competition, which the architect won back in 2006. The project budget was 11.1 million euros.
The La Masana School of Art is part of the University of Barcelona, where students can receive his diplomas in the field of fine arts and design, but also study there according to the vocational school (applied arts) scheme, and there is also a program for high school students from nearby schools. The building with a total area of 11 thousand m2 has become the dominant of the area, but at the same time it does not suppress it due to the division into two color halves and into smaller volumes inside them, which gives the building a dynamic.
The building faces the square with a surface with red-colored ceramic profiles, behind which glazing is hidden. The second part of the building received a gray facade. The main entrance is located in a corner niche. Inside, the atrium plays an important role - a reference to the old hospital building with a cloister-type courtyard. It is crossed by spectacular stair bridges that compensate for the one and a half meter level difference between the parts of the building.
The school faces the lively square with glazed exhibition halls on the first tier, upper floors of workshops and studios. The "gray" half is occupied by classrooms, and the basement contains a student "salon" with dressing rooms and work desks, also designed by Pinos.
