The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), along with Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE CSIC-UPF) are promoting a new research and innovation complex on the grounds of Barcelona’s former fish market (Antic Mercat del Peix, in Catalan). This area, located next to Ciutadella Park, is already home to other research facilities and institutions, such as the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) and the Barcelona Beta Brain Research Center (BBRC), as well as Hospital del Mar and higher education institutions like UPF.
This scientific and urban planning project entails constructing a complex that covers an area of roughly 7,500 m2, on which three new buildings will be constructed:
- BIST building for precision medicine research and innovation (20,600 m2)
- IBE headquarters for evolution and biodiversity research (6,500 m2)
- UPF building for research and innovation in planetary wellbeing (7,300 m2)
The complex will also have an underground car park, managed by the public company Barcelona Serveis Municipals (B:SM).
The Antic Mercat del Peix project receives institutional support from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Barcelona City Council and the Catalan Government. In addition, the University of Barcelona (UB), the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), the Pasqual Maragall Foundation (FPM) and the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) are also participating in the initiative.
The BIST building for precision medicine research and Innovation
The new BIST building on the grounds of the Antic Mercat del Peix will establish a new reference space for multidisciplinary scientific research in precision medicine, bringing together research groups from five of the seven BIST Community centres (IRB Barcelona, IBEC, ICN2, CRG and ICFO), totalling approximately 900 individuals. The building will have eight stories dedicated to laboratories, technological platforms, scientific services, offices and meeting rooms.
With this new infrastructure, BIST will foster synergies across diverse expertise and technologies, with the ultimate goal of improving human health.
This dynamic environment will drive close collaboration among leading BIST Community researchers working in diverse fields such as genetics and molecular biology, biocompatible materials, nanoscience, artificial intelligence and photonics. Together, they will address the global challenge of developing tools for precision medicine, specifically aiming to:
- Develop new and precise diagnostic tools
- Discover new personalised treatments that are safer and more effective
- Understand the keys to healthy aging.
Furthermore, this endeavour will forge collaborations with the best Catalan hospitals to promote the translation of scientific knowledge into clinical practice
The BIST building in the area of the Antic Mercat del Peix will enhance the existing potential of the biomedical hub on Barcelona’s waterfront. The area, which also includes the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Hospital del Mar, and the Pasqual Maragall Foundation (FPM), is poised to become one of the most significant biomedical research hubs in Southern Europe.
Environmentally conscious architecture by Barozzi Veiga architects
The new BIST building is designed by the architecture studio Barozzi Veiga, which was selected after an international architecture competition organised by BIST. Barozzi Veiga’s project was chosen for the uniqueness of the planned building, characterised by its volume and defining eaves, the interior layout, and its solutions to environmental requirements. Both the design and construction of this new building prioritise meeting the criteria for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Desing (LEED) platinum certification, which recognises achievements in sustainable, energy efficient designs.
Barozzi Veiga was founded in Barcelona in 2004 by Fabrizzio Barozzi and Alberto Veiga, and has received the 2015 Mies Van der Rohe European Architecture Prize for the Szczecin Phillarmonic Hall (Poland), among numerous other awards. In 2019 they received the “Best Architects 20” award and the Chicago Atheneum International Award for the Bündner Museum of Fine Arts in Chur (Switzerland). Other notable buildings designed by the studio that have received wide international recognition include the Tanzhaus Cultural Centre in Zürich and the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts in Lausanne. The BIST building will be the first piece by Barozzi Veiga to be built in the city of Barcelona.
