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 Places of interest III |
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The Magic Fountain
This is the fruit of engineer Carles Bu , who conceived a new type of fountain where the artistic element consists in the changing shapes of the water. The fundamental element though, was the monumental fountain situated on a platform erected at the end of the avenue, with the perspective of the Palau Nacional as a backdrop. In the city you can also enjoy a set of other ornamental and public fountains.
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The Olympic Village
Comprised of the Pla dels Voluntaris , in front of which there stand the two towers which give the neighborhood its own character. One of the towers is the Hotel Arts , the work of the architects Bruce Graham and Frank O. Gehry , with 44 floors and 456 bedrooms; the other is the Mapfre Tower , designed by Iñigo Ortiz and Enrique de León , an office building with a commercial center on the ground floor. These two towers have a height of 153.5 m and are the highest in Spain so far.
In the Pla dels Voluntaris itself there is a giant fountain and not far away can be seen the face of the sculpture David and Goliath, by Antoni Llena . There s also Frank O. Gehry's Gold Fish , and behind that the Atlanta Gardens , with the chimney of the Can Folch factory, and the group of buildings in the form of an ellipse, the work of the Martorell - Bohigas - Mackay - Puigdom team of architects, the ones who designed the overall plan of the Olympic Village .
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And then there s the Park of the Olympic Harbour and Carrer de Rosa Sensat . The group of buildings which form this neighborhood are the work of architects who have won the FAD prizes for architecture as designed by Helio de Piñón and Albert Vilaplana . The Telef building is by Jaume Bach and Gabriel Mora . Following Avinguda del Bogatell , we find the circular Pla de Tirant lo Blanc , with buildings by Elies Torres and Josep Antoni Martínez Lapeña.
Crossing the Pla is Carrer de Salvador Espriu , where we find one of the fountains designed by Oscar Tusquets and the Canary Islands sculptor Juan Bordas . The large sculpture Tallavents ('windbreaker'), by Francesc Fornells , stands at the crossroads of Carrer de Salvador Espriu and Carrer de Vicens Vives . At the Pla dels Campions, set in the ground is a record of the 257 gold medals won in the 1992 Olympic Games. Some of the legendary figures of international sports have left their handprints in this square.
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The Olympic Harbor
This was built for the 1992 Games, by the architects David Mackay, Josep Martorell , Oriol Bohigas , and Albert Puigdom and the engineer Joan Ramon de Clasc . It has a large number of restaurants, bars and other establishments which have made Barcelona 's nightlife even more interesting. Set up in the open air, this place sells anything from paintings to articles of cut glass.
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The Olympic Ring
The extensive area of the Montju hill between the Stadium Straight and the walls of the cemetery is named the Olympic Ring . The Stadium was rebuilt, respecting the fa the Picornell swimming pools, built in 1969, were modernized as well. In addition, two brand new buildings were constructed: the Sant Jordi Sports Hall , by Arata Isozaki, and the National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia . Also integrated into this area is a new baseball ground, a circular pond, the acclimatization garden from the 1929 Universal Exhibition, an extensive park area and a monolith commemorating the Olympic Games made by the engineer Santiago Calatrava . The general urbanization project of the Olympic Ring is the work of the team formed by Federico Correa , Alfonso Milá , Carles Buixadé and Joan Margarit .
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El Palau Sant Jordi
It is a covered sports pavilion, designed for the competition of athletic and rhythmic gymnastics and the finals of handball and volleyball for the 1992 Olympic Games. The Palau Sant Jordi is the most significant aspect of the Olympic Ring. The person behind the project is the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki . A giant high-fidelity video screen reproduces the images of the performances of the athletes or artists. It can stage a wide variety of sports events and other shows. An athletics track of 200 m inner perimeter and a skating rink can be installed, as wells as a stage for concerts and ballet recitals. The terraces have a capacity for 17,000 spectators, and the ventilation system is designed to be supported by an air-conditioning installation if necessary.
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Its construction began in August 1985 and was inaugurated during the celebration of La Merc in September 1990. The roof, designed by computer by the Japanese engineer Mamoru Kawaguchi , is an astonishing work of engineering. It is formed by a large concave metallic grid that supports the glazed ceramic tiles and the zinc sheets, ensuring impermeability.
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The National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia
The project of the Sports University was commissioned to Ricard Bofill and the works commenced in April 1988 and were financed in their entirety by the Government of Catalonia .
After the Olympic Games, this Sports University became the seat of the National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia (INEFC). There are two twin courtyards of 50 x 50 m, one of which staged the modern and Greco-Roman wrestling competitions during the Games, while the other contained five warm-up mats.
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L' Estadi Olímpic
Designed by the architect Pere Dom i Roure (the son of the modernist Lluís Dom i Montaner) the Olympic Stadium of Montju boasts a capacity for a 55,000 audience, which can be increased to 77,000 with the incorporation of temporary terracing. It can stage musical events, sports competitions, or any kind of popular show. The ornamental frontage is by the sculptor Vicen Navarro , and the statues over the main entrance by Pau Gargallo . Richard Weile was the technical supervisor of the plans and consultant on matters of sports engineering.
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