Barcelona plans to replace the existing Sant Jordi Club, built for the 1992 Olympic Games, with a new concert hall on Montjuïc, scheduled to open in 2029. The venue will hold between 3,500 and 9,000 spectators, depending on the event. Mayor Jaume Collboni said revenue from concerts and major events at the Olympic Ring will cover the estimated €70 million investment. The current club is expected to remain open until spring 2027, with construction of its replacement due to begin in July that year.
The winning design, presented this week, comes from Paris-based Bruther in collaboration with Barcelona’s Jorge Vidal Studio. The new building will double the current club’s size, with approximately 17,000 square metres of space, a rectangular footprint, a height of about 25 metres and two underground levels. The architects have designed the hall specifically for live music, with acoustics and flexibility at its core. Its capacity is intended to bridge the gap between smaller music halls and Barcelona’s largest arenas.
The basic hall will have fixed and retractable bleachers, movable seating and several configurations for different performances. Plans also call for lighting alongside audiovisual and live-broadcast systems. A large entrance plaza on the west façade will connect directly to the Olympic esplanade, providing the basic access point and an outdoor foyer for visitors.
The new Sant Jordi Club is designed to fit the Montjuïc field while preserving the architectural prominence of the nearby Palau Sant Jordi, designed by Arata Isozaki. It will join the Olympic Ring’s other major facilities, including the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and the Palau Sant Jordi. Together, venues across the area will let Barcelona host concerts for audiences ranging from 3,000 to 50,000 people. The replacement is also part of a wider change of Montjuïc and the Olympic Ring ahead of the centenary of the 1929 International Exposition.
Collboni also announced that the Palau de Congresos and two new Fira pavilions are due to open in the city in 2029. The expansion of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) is also planned for that year. Plans are underway to extend Metro Line 2 to the Olympic Ring, with construction expected to begin within two years. The Sant Jordi Club redevelopment forms part of a broader effort to make the Olympic area a destination for public gatherings and leisure, with concerts also on the agenda. The project will reorganize access and service areas around this section of the Anella Olímpica.
The current Palau Sant Jordi accommodates up to 18,500 people, while the Estadi Olímpic can host 50,000. The new club’s flexible design, which architect Jorge Vidal described as an “accordion with different configurations,” is intended to fill the gap for mid-sized events. The project reflects Barcelona’s investment in cultural infrastructure and its plan to put existing Olympic facilities to new uses. Its funding model, which reinvests income generated by events, is intended to support a public project without direct municipal expenditure.
