The commission is being created in a key moment, at different stages of execution in the ten scientific research and dissemination projects that will make up the future Ciutadella del Coneixement.

This year will see work get under way on three of the research buildings set to be built on the site of the old fish market. The main one, the PRBB Ciutadella, with over 23,000 square metres of space and an investment of 140 million euros, will come into operation in 2028 and be devoted to ground-breaking medical research and investigation.

The project includes the Barcelona Institute of Biomedical Research, half of the Institution of Bioengineering of Catalonia and various research groups from the Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and the Centre for Genomic Regulations. All of these research centres form part of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).

The old fish market will also be home to the new building for the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, promoted by the CSIC and the UPF, with work to begin at the end of May and an investment of 18.3 million euros. In parallel, work is also being carried out on the Barcelona Agora for the Welfare of Society, also by the UPF, with a cost of 21.3 million euros, including funding from the Government of Catalonia.

This year should also see progress with the drafting of the final project for the CSIC bioscience building, to be constructed on the site of the old State Vehicle Fleet with an investment of 63 million euros. The Barcelona Institute of Molecular Biology and the Barcelona Institute of Biomedical Investigation will be constructed here and it may house over 300 people and some forty research groups.

New uses for four historical buildings of La Ciutadella

Besides the new buildings, there will also be a transformation of four buildings that form part of the science and heritage corridor of the Ciutadella del Coneixement, and which are now in the final stage of renovation: the Castell dels Tres Dragons, the Hivernacle, the Umbracle and the Centre Martorell d’Exposicions.

Work is under way on the renovation of the outside of the Castell dels Tres Dragons, with an expected budget of 8 million euros. Once this concludes in the second quarter of 2027, a sum of 37 million euros will be used to renew the inside and turn the building into a dynamic space open to the public. Work will also start shortly on the renovation on the Umbracle (1.7 million euros) and the Centre Martorell d’Exposicions (7.65 million euros), which is already operating as a museum. In the Hivernacle, which retains part of its original use, preparations have now been completed to resolve the structural pathologies of the building and renovate the inside and the outside, with a sum of 2.5 million euros.

The Public State Library and the new Zoo, with a view to 2030

The Ministry of Culture started work in October on the Public State Library in Barcelona, on a site of more than 5,000 square metres ceded by the City Council and contiguous to the Estació de França. The project entails an investment of 82 million euros and will result in a building of over 16,000 square metres of useful floor space across eight floors. This will be the second biggest library in the state, after the Spanish National Library.

A sum of 60 million euros will be used to transform the Zoo. The goal is to turn it into a new point of reference for the preservation of the planet’s biodiversity, with new areas and experimental activities to strengthen learning and awareness.

Work recently began on the new passage that will connect the Vila Olímpica neighbourhood with the district of Ciutat Vella and improve the different spaces of the Ciutadella del Coneixement. The work has a cost of 13 million euros, which comes in addition to the work being carried out to improve the greenery and watering infrastructure all around the park (8 million euros).