International architecture studio Mestres Wåge has been selected to design Barcelona's future educational and technological hub for the maritime sector. The project, presented last April, stood out for its relationship with the surroundings, its permeability, its integration of public space, and its coherent functional layout.
The new facility aligns with the current administration's strategic plan for the Barcelona coastline: opening the city to the sea by reclaiming public space and promoting the "Blue Economy," which encompasses economic sectors related to the marine environment, fostering industries beyond tourism.
The Barcelona City Council, through a tender by the municipal company BIMSA and as part of its initiatives to renovate the urban coastline and boost the Blue Economy, organized a restricted competition for the design of the city's maritime educational and technological hub.
The proposal by the international firm Mestres Wague—based in Barcelona and Oslo—won the two-stage competition, which drew 50 renowned firms, including Sergison Bates Architects, Estudio Carme Pinós, BAAS, DATAAE, and Mario Corea Arquitectura, among others. Out of the ten submissions that advanced to the second stage, Mestres Wåge's design stood out, according to the jury, for its high architectural and urban quality. The jury highlighted the clever organization of programming and the proposed structural system, as well as its permeability and ability to engage public space.
The new 13,689-square-meter facility will allocate its floor area almost equally between the Faculty of Nautical Studies of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and a tech startup incubator focused on the blue economy—businesses linked to maritime activities. The innovative structure will be located at the Bocana Norte (Northern Entrance) of the Port of Barcelona, featuring five above-ground levels and one underground floor.
Scheduled for completion in 2026, the building will be integrated into the network of facilities in the Bocana Norte urban area, the newest zone of the Port of Barcelona. Set amid reflective glass architecture, the new maritime hub aims to act as the command bridge of this harbor entrance, offering panoramic views of the sea.
The proposal breaks away from the monolithic, container-like design of neighboring buildings, using several strategies to reclaim the new urban public space. Specifically, its volumetric composition and facade variations allow the building to be perceived at different scales and nuances. This enriches the experience of the public space, altering the skyline and breaking down prevailing barriers by offering views of warm, vibrant interiors. The main facade on Passeig de Joan de Borbó, with its modular rhythm, transparency, and ceramic skin, complements the side elevations that expose the structural framework, bringing rhythm and order to both the interior and exterior.
Based in Barcelona and Oslo, Mestres Wåge is an international architecture studio founded in 2005 by Maria Mestres and Magnus Wåge. Their work focuses on architectural synthesis as a tool to address complex scenarios, with the ambition of creating an open, versatile, and sensitive architecture that engages deeply with its context, treating architecture and urbanism as a single, unified discipline.
This article was written by Elías Barczuk Pasamán. The translation is powered by AI.
