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Faculty Design of Three Chimneys Wins Public Space Competition

Overview of the design of the Southern Cities Project
The Southern River Parks Project, Madrid, Spain
December 9, 2025
BY Emily capdeville

The Tres Xemeneies, or Three Chimneys, are a quirky yet iconic fixture of the Barcelona coastline. These towers, once part of a thermal power station, have been inactive since 2011, and rather than being torn down, were recently the subject of a public space design competition. Margarita Jover and Dean Iñaki Alday, through their practice aldayjover architecture and landscape, have won the blind, peer-reviewed design competition to reimagine the structure.

vista of the barcelona coastline with three chimneys in the corner
A vista of the renovated Three Chimneys, bottom right, and Barcelona's coastline

This waterfront and beach space, located at the mouth of the Besos River, seeks to complete one of the major goals of the city, the recovery of the iconic power plant as a cultural venue. aldayjover worked with Landlab and a group of specialists and will develop the project for construction in 2027-28.

A rendering of aldayjovers design for the Three Chimneys
Map of the plan for the Three Chimneys project

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Overview of the design of the Southern Cities Project

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Square shot of Penumbra's kitchen and pool by Atelier Mey

Faculty win AIA Miami Design Award for Penumbra

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