Smart 22@

GCA Architects
Photography credits: Rafael Vargas
Client: Meridia Capital
Contractor: UTE La Escocesa, Grupo Elecnor+Sorigué
Project Management: TAG Arquitectura & Management
Building Surveyor: Belart Arquitectes Tècnics
Structural Engineer: BAC Engineering, Grupo SOCOTEC
MEP Engineer: PGI Engineering & Consulting
Façade consultants: Ferrés Arquitectos y Consultores
Landscape: Valentina Greselin
LEED™ Consultants: Homu Well Tech

GCA Architects has just completed the construction of Spain’s first intelligent building, Smart 22@, in Barcelona’s 22@ technology district of Poblenou.

Poblenou is the neighborhood of the 1000 chimneys, a legacy of its industrial past that still retains a strong entrepreneurial character today. It is a neighborhood that combines tradition and modernity, craftsmanship and technological innovation, and it is no coincidence that the main fabric and engine of the 22@ technological district is concentrated here.

The Smart building responds to these conditions while shining with its own personality. Its morphology is based on urban integration, with a deeply respectful gesture towards neighboring buildings, such as the old factory “La Escocesa”. Its genetics reflect the characteristic chromatic range of the neighborhood, blending the weight of the tradition of a humble material, such as terracotta, with new industrial processes that allow for large-format extruded pieces. The south facade also integrates photovoltaic glass panels that contribute to the energy efficiency of the three buildings.

Smart offers 24,600 m. of offices divided into three independent buildings, connected by a large garden area. The building’s architecture provides tenants with open and flexible floors with a post-tensioned slab structure that allows for large spans from the core to the curtain wall facade. It also has a terrace, lounge area, multipurpose room, locker rooms, and a multitude of services designed to create community.

It is a new concept that arises from the industrial legacy and stands as a landmark that promotes values such as modernity, sustainability, and technology. So much so that it is Spain’s first Smart Building and has an international certification linked to energy efficiency and user well-being (Wiredscore Platinum), and is about to obtain two more, Platinum LEED™ and Platinum Well.

The new complex thus becomes a link between the past and the future, a container of experiences, talks, and open spaces to the public; it is about appealing to the social responsibility of architecture, creating an integrating volume capable of coexisting with the Poblenou neighborhood and reflecting the values of the city of Barcelona.