Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

The winning project in the competition organised by Incasòl addresses the need to achieve zero or null energy consumption buildings, maximising efficiency and the self-generation of energy and minimising its consumption. The building will be a leading centre for research into energy, sustainability and biomedical engineering.

Located between the Rambla Central on the campus and C/ Eduard Maristany, the building will be the sixth belonging to the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) on this site in the Besòs area. With a total of 14,352 square metres, the building will have a staggered design with a ground floor and six upper floors on one side, and a ground floor and three upper floors on the other.

Other design elements will play a key part in sustainability. The building includes a yard which will be activated depending on the time of year to reduce the demand for energy. It will also have a biosphere façade which adapts to the direction of sunlight according to the varying degrees of radiation.

Work should take from early 2024 to the final quarter of 2025. Once completed, over half of its floor space will house the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), along with the Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia (IBEC) and university research groups. The Government of Catalonia, through Incasòl, is the promotor of the building, which will cost 24.3 million euros.