Coinciding with the start of the second term of the 2008-2009 academic year, classes were held for the first time on the Communication campus-Poblenou where the UPF concentrates all its teaching, research and production in the communication and information technology field.

Nearly 3,500 members of the university community -students, lecturers, researchers and administration and services staff- have altered their usual journeys to work and headed for the block in the 22@ district bounded by Avinguda Diagonal, Carrer de Llacuna, Carrer Roc Boronat and Carrer Tànger. A team of some thirty guides giving directions, the careful signposting and the information provided in advance made the job of finding where each person had to go easier.

At midday the UPF's rector, Josep Joan Moreso, made a tour of the different facilities of the new campus, which will not be fully ready for another few weeks, when work on the auditorium, the cafeteria and the new Tànger building is expected to be completed.

Teaching and research

The Communication Campus-Poblenou is where the following courses will be taught: nine bachelor's degrees (Audiovisual Communication, Linguistics, Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations, Translation and Interpreting, and the engineering diplomas and higher qualifications in Computing and Telecommunication) and postgraduate courses (seven doctorates, seven official master's degrees, fourteen UPF master's degrees and nine postgraduate diplomas), as well as language courses, courses for foreigners and other supplementary courses.

The research conducted there consists of all the projects carried out by the researchers in the departments of Communication, Information and Communication Technologies, and Translation and Language Sciences, as well as the Audiovisual University Institute (IUA), the University Institute of Applied Linguistics (IULA) and the Scientific Communication Observatory, all on the new campus too.

Investment and funding

Total spending on the construction of the new campus, which covers a surface area of 28,000 square metres, was 50 million euros, which includes the refurbishment and consolidation of two historical buildings, the construction of the new buildings, as well as the furnishings, fittings, installations and equipment of all the buildings.

The new campus has modern facilities and has been equipped with advanced technical and computing resources, including the integrated editorial department and two television sets (you can see the TV news set in the photograph).

The project has been funded to a large extent by the contributions provided for in the Catalan autonomous government's Pluriannual Investment Plan. Other contributions have come from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science grants for the construction of science and technology parks and the European Regional Development Fund.

A painstakingly prepared project for refurbishing historical buildings and constructing new ones

The architectural plans, which were drawn up by the architects Josep Benedito and Ramon Valls, comprise the refurbishment of two historical buildings belonging to the former Ca l'Aranyó textile factory , a magnificent example of Catalonia's industrial heritage, designed by the architects Antoni Vilanova and Eduard Simó.

These two buildings, dating from 1887, are La Fàbrica -a four-storey former loom factory which has been carefully restored to preserve the original outer walls and the building's wooden roof- which houses the Learning and Research Resources Centre (CRAI, in the photograph on the left), and La Nau -a former warehouse- occupied by different spaces devoted to research and where there are lecture rooms for master's and PhD courses.

The project has included the construction of two new buildings for teaching and research as well as offices for administration and general services. There is also a large square outside which is an open-air space for people to meet and  a place where cultural activities can be held. The complex is completed by an enormous conical brick-built chimney which has also been conserved.

A good example of the commitment by the university and companies to carry out joint activities at the Audiovisual Production Centre , a 4,800 square metre space housing the sets and technical areas (editing rooms) used by the UPF on a rental basis.

Parc Barcelona Media, a science and technology park for the communication industry

The Communication Campus is part of Parc Barcelona Media (PBM), an initiative stemming from the collaboration between the UPF, Barcelona City Council and the Mediapro Group. The PBM has been set up as a science and technology park, a platform for audiovisual and communication equipment and services, one part of which, led by the UPF, focuses on education, training and innovation, while the other part, led by the Mediapro Group and the municipal company 22@ Barcelona, is devoted to audiovisual production and services for industry.

The Barcelona Media Innovation Centre (CIBM), set up by the UPF and the Barcelona Media Foundation-UPF, is one of the most notable facilities in PBM. It is a technology centre for a sector of industry revolving around the media and audiovisual technology and contents.