The Garcés de Seta Bonet Arquitectes and Marvel studios have won the competition announced by the Generalitat de Cataluña for the adaptive reuse and extension of Tres Xemeneies/Three Chimneys, a former power station that will house the Catalunya Media City, a pole for the development, production and experimentation of digital arts and technologies. The project is part of a wider programme of redevelopment of the Sant Adrià de Besòs area, on the outskirts of Barcelona: the winning project, suggestively entitled “E la nave va” (And the ship goes, in homage to Federico Fellini) envisages not only the renovation of the building, but also the creation of new equipped public spaces, green areas and paths to increase the accessibility of the area and its connection with the sea.

The monolithic complex with a Brutalist feel, dominated by three iconic smokestacks, stands out with disruptive imposing grandeur in the urban landscape: the aim of the project was to preserve the strongly characterised identity of the industrial site, promoting its greater usability in relation to future destinations. “Tres Xemeneies represents an icon of Catalonia's industrial heritage that we intend to preserve and enhance”, says Guido Hartray, founding partner of Marvel. The project preserves the existing structure, modified only by the insertion of transversal cuts that interconnect the building with the surrounding environment, and introduces a new construction that connects the interior of the former turbine hall with the outdoor space, following the natural boundaries of sea and mountain.

The complex will house four main functional programmes: training spaces; research and business incubators; exhibition halls; a centre for the development of the Catalan audiovisual industry, with an auditorium for 250 seats, recording studios, laboratories, meeting rooms, a library and flexible exhibition and event spaces.

Attention is being paid to environmental sustainability according to a process of “historical nemesis” that revises the historic infrastructure with a heavy environmental impact through a renewed focus on reducing its ecological footprint, thanks to the significant production of renewable energy through photovoltaic panels and the use of passive and bioclimatic architectural design techniques.

Work will begin after the summer of 2025 and is expected to be completed in 2027/2028.