In recent years, there has been much talk about the high availability of offices in Barcelona, especially in the 22@ district. On occasion, this debate has even led to questioning the success of the urban planning project. However, I believe that to correctly assess what is happening, we must broaden our perspective and remember where we come from.
The 22@ was born in 2000 with the aim of transforming an old industrial area of Poblenou into a new district of economic activity, technology, and innovation. Only 26 years have passed since then, a relatively short period when we talk about urban transformation.
During this time, Barcelona has managed to develop a new business hub where factories, workshops, and old industrial spaces previously predominated. The district now has an office park of approximately 1.8 million square meters, according to the latest data published on its surface area. An extraordinary volume that has allowed it to attract large companies, technology firms, research centers, and new economic activities.
We are, without a doubt, facing one of Barcelona's great urban transformation successes of recent decades. Few European cities have managed to develop a business district of these dimensions in such a short time, integrated into its urban fabric and with a similar capacity to attract economic activity.
A transformation that needs time to consolidate
Currently, according to FORCADELL data for the third quarter of 2026, the 22@ concentrates approximately 385,000 m² of available offices, representing 37.6% of all available supply in Barcelona. This is a significant figure that we should not minimize, but neither can we analyze it without considering the enormous volume of offices incorporated into the market during these years.
Cities do not transform overnight, and new business districts need time to consolidate. The 22@ has experienced particularly intense real estate development, with numerous projects reaching the market in a relatively concentrated period. It is logical that demand needs time to absorb this new supply.
Furthermore, we must distinguish between contracting and net absorption. When a company moves to larger offices, it generates a new operation, but it can also leave the spaces it previously occupied vacant. Therefore, the effective reduction in availability is a more gradual process than contracting figures might suggest.
What is relevant is that we are observing a positive evolution. The weight of 22@ on the total available offices in Barcelona has gone from approximately 43% to 37.6% in one quarter, while the district continues to be one of the main destinations for business demand.
Companies once again need space
Barcelona's office market is also showing positive signs. During the third quarter of 2026, 106,000 m² were contracted, compared to 103,000 m² in the same period of the previous year. With this, the accumulated total reaches 252,000 m² and keeps the market on a slightly higher trajectory than in 2025.
Large operations, such as those linked to Inditex, have played a significant role in this evolution. But beyond these operations, in our daily activity we observe that many companies are looking for new offices not only to change location or improve their facilities, but also to expand their spaces.
After a few years marked by uncertainty about teleworking and space reduction, we are seeing how companies are once again valuing the office as an essential element for their organization, collaboration between teams, and talent acquisition. However, demand is much more demanding. Companies are looking for efficient buildings, well-connected and ready to start working quickly. The quality of spaces and the flexibility of commercial conditions are increasingly more important than specific rent differences.
The pending challenge: making 22@ a more complete district
While I believe that 22@ has been a success from the point of view of economic and business transformation, we must also recognize that its development has not always been accompanied, at the same pace, by the residential uses, services, and facilities that a district fully integrated into city life needs.
"It is not about indiscriminately replacing offices with housing or giving up the productive character of 22@"
During certain periods, office growth has advanced more rapidly than the development of housing, local commerce, public facilities, and other services. And this is, probably, one of the main pending challenges.
A business district cannot function only during working hours. It needs activity throughout the day, residents, quality public spaces, services, and a commercial offering that contributes to creating an attractive urban environment.
It is not about indiscriminately replacing offices with housing or abandoning the productive character of 22@. Precisely, one of the great successes of the project was to reserve space within Barcelona for economic activity and job creation, something we must preserve. But it is necessary to move towards a greater balance between the different uses. We hope that in the coming years, pending urban developments can be expedited and that the incorporation of housing, facilities, and services will allow this transformation to be completed.
The 22@ still has a long way to go, especially in areas that have not reached the same level of consolidation. And this evolution represents an opportunity to correct some of the imbalances that have occurred during its first 26 years.
Barcelona must continue to bet on business growth
Barcelona has extraordinary conditions to attract companies: talent, universities, research centers, quality of life, and a consolidated international position. And 22@ has decisively contributed to reinforcing these advantages, offering modern spaces to companies that would have hardly found equivalent surfaces in the traditional office areas of the city.
That is why I believe we must evaluate the project with a long-term perspective. Current availability is a commercial challenge that must be managed, but it should not overshadow the scope of the transformation that has been achieved. The future of the district will depend on its ability to continue attracting companies, progressively absorbing the available surface, and moving towards a more balanced urban model.
Barcelona has managed to transform an old industrial area into one of its main engines of economic activity in just 26 years. Now the challenge is not to reinvent 22@, but to complete what we have already started. And to do it with the same ambition with which the project was born: to create a city capable of generating employment, attracting talent, and offering quality spaces for both working and living.