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Catalan Architects Urge Pause on Barcelona Thyssen Museum Plan as Backers Keep 2026–2028 Timeline

COAC says the project needs a participatory reset because its scale and retail footprint lack a clear public-interest justification.

Overview

  • The architects’ body formally relayed its request to Mayor Jaume Collboni after a debate where neither the city nor the promoters took part.
  • The conversion hinges on a pending PGM change that would raise the building’s height and expand allowable floor area by about 25% while preserving Palau Marcet façades.
  • Critics object to an unusually large commercial component inside the museum—roughly 2,500 to 2,750 m²—and seek economic and public-return studies.
  • Promoters led by Carmen Thyssen and funder Stoneweg maintain a schedule to secure licenses in 2026, start works late 2026, and open in the second half of 2028, with investment near €100 million.
  • A symbolic send-off in the shuttered Cine Comèdia featured art students and cultural figures to underline educational outreach, as opponents warn about tourist saturation and the loss of scarce local facilities in the Eixample.