Between the neighborhoods of Sant Andreu del Palomar and Bon Pastor, the old Mercedes-Benz factory is one of the vestiges of Barcelona's industrial history. The site housed the headquarters of the Empresa Nacional de Motores de Aviación (ENMASA) starting in the 1950s, a work by the rationalist architect Robert Terradas. Previously, the space had been occupied by the Elizalde automobile factory, bombed during the Civil War. It wasn't until 1981 that car production returned to these grounds, this time by Mercedes-Benz.
One of the many crises in the automotive sector put an end to the industrial tradition in this space of more than 90,000 square meters and left it unoccupied and abandoned since 2007. Now, the Barcelona City Council wants to continue its history by locating a center that facilitates the establishment of new technology companies linked to Industry 4.0 and creative industries. "We want to convert this old Mercedes car factory into a new factory of ideas," summarized the Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning, Janet Sanz, at the presentation of the new project. The city council is working with the Leitat Foundation to define what this center will be like, which is expected to occupy up to 30,000 square meters and generate between 1,000 and 3,000 direct jobs.
But this will not be the only economic activity that is intended to be promoted in the old factory. The new headquarters of the Elisava School of Design and Engineering will be installed in one of the existing buildings, of 14,000 square meters, with capacity to accommodate around 2,000 students. Likewise, the Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya plans to locate its new headquarters in Barcelona in the complex, where postgraduate studies can also be taught. Both spaces will be the first to be built, with the forecast of finishing them around September 2023. Added to those of the Leitat center, it is estimated that up to 5,000 new jobs will be created.
All this will be done while maintaining the industrial memory of the site and preserving its architectural value. The most representative buildings of the site, which currently have no heritage protection, will be preserved. The central nave will be converted into a large square and the economic activities, both industrial and educational, will be located in the surrounding buildings.
1,450 flats in a super-block
Housing will be the other protagonist of this factory complex and will represent almost 60% of the uses ---economic activity, the remaining 40%---. In a space of 117,000 square meters, up to 1,450 new homes will be built, of which 40% will be under official protection and the rest, free market. The council wants at least half of the protected flats to be for rent and also a part of the free market ones. There will also be space for ground-floor shops, offices and industrial activities, in addition to public facilities and green areas.
The new small neighborhoods that will be built in the old factory will follow the super-block model that is being developed in the city center. Inside, vehicle traffic will not be allowed and only pedestrians, bicycles and scooters will be able to circulate. The complex will connect Sant Andreu with Bon Pastor, opening up to residents, who will be able to cross it on foot, once the perimeter fences are removed.
Works schedule
The deadlines for executing this great transformation of the factory complex will begin this very week, with the approval of the urban agreement between the Barcelona City Council and Conren Tramway, the company that bought the land from Mercedes in 2018, and the start of the participatory process. The council expects to have the modification of the General Metropolitan Plan (PGM) approved before the summer to be able to finalize the planning change between the end of the year and the beginning of 2022. By September 2023, the first buildings, those of the Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya, are expected to be finished, and it will not be until 2026 when all the works will have been completed.
The agreement with Conren Tramway, a real estate manager also owner of the Tres Xemeneies del Paral·lel, foresees that they will assume the transfer of land for public facilities, the transfer and urbanization of land for roads and green areas, and the transfer of a part of the urban development. Therefore, the City Council will not have to assume any cost and will only have to manage the modification of the PGM. The investment that Conren Tramway will have to make to develop the entire project has not been specified.