The Poblenou campus opens its doors

On 13 February, UPF’s Poblenou campus was officially inaugurated offering new facilities for training, research and production in the field of communication and information technologies housing some 3,500 students, lecturers and administrative and service staff. The scheduled inaugural events had to be suspended due to the protests of a group of anti-Bologna demonstrators.

At the new campus, eight undergraduate studies (three of which as of this academic year), three doctorates, nine university master’s degrees, and several UPF-endorsed master’s degrees and postgraduate diplomas were to be taught, as well as the research conducted by three departments and two institutes.

With a harmonious combination of refurbished and newly built areas, it consisted of five buildings, equipped with the most modern technologies. The architectural project, which enabled UPF to recover this magnificent example of Catalan industrial heritage dating from 1887, has a roofed area of ​​33,816 square metres, designed by the architects Josep Benedito and Ramon Valls. The architects Antoni Vilanova and Eduard Simó were involved in the consolidation and recovery of two of the old factory buildings -the Ca l’Aranyó factory and the storage warehouse- which were built into the new constructions. The campus was completed with two new buildings, Roc Boronat and Tànger, the latter designed by architect Frederic Crespo.

The island hosting the UPF campus and other buildings was awarded the 2008 City of Barcelona Prize for architecture and urban planning. The jury felt that this audiovisual complex was “an exceptional urban complex” and highlighted the complementary nature of public and private buildings.

Photo: Jordi Hereu, mayor of Barcelona; Josep Huguet, minister for Universities; José Montilla, president of the Generalitat (Government) of Catalonia, and Josep Joan Moreso, rector of UPF, on the opening day (from left to right).