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Designed by the architect Arata Isozaki, work on the indoor sports arena began in August 1985 and it was opened in September 1990, on the level immediately below the Estadi Olímpic (Olympic Stadium) within the Anella Olímpica (Olympic Ring) on Montjuïc hill. Architecturally speaking, the Palau Sant Jordi is considered to be a pioneering building in terms of its design and structure. As a result, it has become recognised as one of the most iconic buildings of Olympic Barcelona. During the Barcelona’92 Olympic Games, the Palau Sant Jordi was the venue for the artistic gymnastics competitions, the volleyball finals and the handball finals.

It has two different spaces: a main arena with a capacity for 15,000 people (seated), covered by a dome that characterises its external shape, and a multipurpose pavilion. This distribution facilitates the organisation of simultaneous activities. The services building links the two areas while serving as the Palau Sant Jordi’s main communications centre. Worthy of note among its technically sophisticated features are the ventilation system (comprising eight motors that renew the internal air) and a traditional air-conditioning system (ensuring proper comfort levels), both of which are centrally controlled.

The multipurpose nature of the Palau Sant Jordi allows it to host a variety of sporting competitions: in the last few years there’s been built temporarily a 200-metre oval-shaped six-lane athletics track, an ice rink and, in 2003, an Olympic-sized swimming pool that was opened for the 2003 World Aquatics Championships. It has also been the stage for a whole variety of recreational and cultural activities.

Selected resources

Los escenarios

COOB’92 (1992): “Los escenarios”, Memoria oficial de los Juegos de la XXV Olímpiada, Barcelona 1992. Vol.2. Los medios : objetivos, recursos y escenarios. Barcelona: COOB’92, pp. 127-337

Instal·lacions de competició = Instalaciones de competición = Installation compétition = Competition facilities

COOB’92 (1990): Instal·lacions de competició = Instalaciones de competición = Installation compétition = Competition facilities. Barcelona: COOB’92.

AOMSA: l’Anella Olímpica de Montjuïc

Anella Olímpica, S.A. (1990): AOMSA: l’Anella Olímpica de Montjuïc. Barcelona: Ajuntament de Barcelona.

Palau Sant Jordi : Barcelona, setembre de 1990

Palau Sant Jordi : Barcelona, setembre de 1990. Barcelona : HOLSA, 1992

Palau d'Esports Sant Jordi : l'emblema arquitectònic de 1992 : presentació del final de les obres de construcció : Barcelona, juny de 1990

Palau d’Esports Sant Jordi : l’emblema arquitectònic de 1992 : presentació del final de les obres de construcció : Barcelona, juny de 1990. Barcelona : Holsa, 1990?

El Palau d'esports Sant Jordi d'Arata Isozaki : els projectes

El Palau d’esports Sant Jordi d’Arata Isozaki : els projectes. Barcelona : [s.n.], 1990.

Barcelona Olímpica : la ciudad renovada

Barcelona Olímpica : la ciudad renovada. Barcelona: Holsa; Àmbit, 1992. 

Barcelona: la ciutat i el 92

Guevara, M. Teresa (1990): Barcelona: la ciutat i el 92. Barcelona: Olimpíada Cultural.

In the repository

In the Municipal Contemporary Archive, you can consult the administrative and management documentation generated on this topic by the Organising Committee Barcelona’92, SA (COOB’92), Holding Olímpic SA (HOLSA), Anella Olímpica de Montjuïc SA (AOMSA) (Olympic ring), Vila Olímpica SA (VOSA) (Olympic village) and the Institut Municipal de Promoció Urbanística SA (IMPUSA) (municipal Institute of urban development).

 

In the Barcelona Photographic Archive, you can consult the photographic and audio-visual documentation (more than 25000 photographs) generated by the by the Organising Committee Barcelona’92, SA (COOB’92), Holding Olímpic SA (HOLSA), Anella Olímpica de Montjuïc SA (AOMSA) (Olympic ring) and the Institut Municipal de Promoció Urbanística SA (IMPUSA) (municipal Institute of urban development).

If you need further information on the collection, read the collection guide.

In the library

In the libraries of the study centres of the Barcelona Olympic Foundation (FBO) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) you can find the selection of listed documents and other bibliographic materials on the subject.

If you are interested in knowing more about our Olympic collection, you can consult the Union Catalogue of Catalan Universities (UAB collection) or contact us by e-mail (FBO collection).

Sports in pictures

If you are interested in images of the Olympic and Paralympic Games of Barcelona’92, the Image Service of the Olympic Foundation of Barcelona will help you identify the images that satisfy your needs.

The Foundation manages the official image archive of the Barcelona’92 Games. You can contact them by email to request more information about the services provided and the collection of images. In this page, we offer a selection of images on the event.