Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

The architectural and conceptual transformation covers an area of 24,000 square metres at the port, with 8,000 metres devoted to 14 gastronomy enterprises. The project was designed according to criteria on accessibility, sustainability and innovation, and will generate a large open space by the sea, respectful towards the surroundings and with rest areas for people to relax in.

Work gets under way early in 2023 and should be completed by the summer of 2024, coinciding with the America’s Cup in Barcelona.

During these months, the Moll de Gregal wharf will be completely renovated to facilitate the connection between the port and the city and house 11 restaurants and 3 gourmet spaces. These establishments will offer quality creative cuisine which is diverse, healthy and sustainable, ranging from dishes made with fresh market food to avant-garde cuisine.

A new innovative and sustainable restaurant space

The new restaurant deck will be a unique space, based on modern architecture and adapted to the climate emergency. Priority will be given to natural light, accessible spaces, shade and integration with the surroundings.

Four large solar panels will also be installed on the rooftops in this section to boost energy efficiency. At 3,300 square metres, this will be the largest solar pergola in the city, with a capacity to generate 890,000 kw of electricity a year. In addition, the four restaurants on the upper section will have green rooftops, boosting biodiversity and providing thermal and acoustic insulation for the premises.

New tendering process and protection for workers

The current restaurant licences expired in April 2020 and have been extended with temporary contracts. The selection of future restaurateurs will be made after the summer, through a public competition where scoring criteria include cooking styles and produce, design proposals and ambience of premises, the sustainability measures introduced and more.

The continuity of current staff will be guaranteed, regardless of the new companies awarded contracts. Workers will be able to get professional guidance services from Barcelona Activa and a complete training plan in different spheres of hospitality, fostering professional growth and updating knowledge and agreements to meet the current needs of this sector. Knowledge of languages, customer service, purchase management, barista techniques and culinary innovation are just some of the disciplines included in the 1,000 hours of training planned.

The new restaurant deck involves an investment of 15.9 million euros and forms part of the major transformation to reactivate the Olympic Port. This project has been in place since 2020 and was tasked to Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) by Barcelona City Council, with three main parts to it: the nautical sector, the blue economy and the restaurant sector.