DFactory Barcelona achieves LEED Platinum certification and strengthens its position as a benchmark for the new urban industry

• DFactory Barcelona becomes one of the nine buildings in Barcelona to obtain LEED Platinum certification; two of them belong to the CZFB: DFactory Barcelona and Torre Tarragona.

• The expansion of DFactory Barcelona is entering its final stage, with its inauguration scheduled for February 2027, in response to an ecosystem that has currently reached 100% occupancy and has quadrupled its number of companies since 2021, growing from 14 to 56 companies.

• The CZFB is taking part in Smart City Expo World Congress 2026 with its own stand (Hall 3, Stand D160), where it brings the industry of the future closer to visitors through demonstrations of augmented reality, robotics, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and additive manufacturing.

Barcelona, November 3, 2026.- The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) announced today, within the framework of the Smart City Expo World Congress 2026 (SCEWC), that DFactory Barcelona has obtained the LEED O+M Platinum certification, the highest level of international recognition for building sustainability and efficiency.

DFactory Barcelona has thus become one of only nine buildings in the city of Barcelona to achieve this level of excellence. Furthermore, two of these buildings belong to the CZFB: DFactory Barcelona and Torre Tarragona. The announcement was made during a media briefing held at the CZFB stand at SCEWC 2026, with the participation of Pere Navarro, Executive President of the CZFB, and Blanca Sorigué, Director General of the organization.

The briefing also served to present the progress of DFactory Barcelona, the upcoming milestones in its expansion project, and the organization’s commitment to a new model of urban industry that is more integrated with the city.

Towards an Urban, Innovative and Sustainable Industrial District

The evolution of DFactory Barcelona reflects not only the transformation that industry is undergoing, but also the evolution of the CZFB’s own model. The industry of the future is moving towards more innovative, digitalized and sustainable environments, capable of integrating into the urban landscape while generating both economic and social development. In this context, DFactory Barcelona District represents the evolution of the traditional industrial estate concept into an urban, innovative and sustainable industrial district, integrating industrial spaces, technology, knowledge, talent and collaborative areas designed to foster cooperation and create new opportunities.

Pere Navarro, Executive President of the CZFB, explained during his speech that: “The transformation of cities cannot be understood without the transformation of their industry. Through DFactory Barcelona District, we are promoting a new way of understanding the relationship between industry and the city, based on an urban, innovative, digitalized and sustainable model that connects knowledge, technology and talent to create new opportunities.” Navarro added: “We have moved from managing square meters to generating opportunities. DFactory Barcelona demonstrates that the industry of the future is already operating in Barcelona, and we want to multiply its capacity to transform both the economy and the city.”

DFactory Barcelona, a Proven Succes Model

Over recent years, DFactory Barcelona has consolidated a specialized Industry 4.0 ecosystem that continues to experience sustained growth. In 2021, it began operations with 14 companies and currently hosts 56, quadrupling that figure and reaching 100% occupancy. Today, DFactory Barcelona generates 470 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs, while the companies within its ecosystem have developed 63 patents, reflecting the strong innovation activity fostered within its facilities.

For her part, Blanca Sorigué, Director General of the CZFB, stated: “DFactory Barcelona is a success model that we can now measure: since 2021, we have quadrupled the number of companies and reached 100% occupancy. We are now taking a new step forward with DFactory Barcelona District to expand this ecosystem, attract more companies and talent, and continue generating economic activity.”

The Expansion Enters Its Final Stretch

The expansion of DFactory Barcelona is progressing according to schedule. The Cub building is expected to be completed by the end of November, including the installation of its large-format screen, as well as the urban development works on the main avenue and the agora space.

During December, work will continue on completing the façades and roofing of Buildings A and D, together with the urban development of their surrounding areas, while construction of Building B is scheduled to begin in January 2027.

The main milestone will arrive in February 2027 with the inauguration of the DFactory Barcelona expansion. Subsequently, in March, the Cub building will host its first official event, and activity will gradually begin in Buildings A and D. This transformation will expand DFactory Barcelona from its current 17,000 m² to nearly 60,000 m², with the long-term objective of reaching 100,000 m² across the entire DFactory Barcelona District.

LEED Platinum: Certified Sustainability with Measurable Results

One of the key announcements made during the media briefing was that DFactory Barcelona obtained the LEED O+M Platinum certification, the highest level of international recognition for building sustainability and operational efficiency.

This certification assesses a building’s actual performance based on criteria such as energy efficiency, water and resource management, indoor environmental quality, and the well-being of the people who use its facilities. As a result, DFactory Barcelona now ranks among the nine buildings in Barcelona that have achieved this level of excellence. Of these, two belong to the CZFB: DFactory Barcelona and Torre Tarragona. Pere Navarro highlighted that: “Achieving LEED O+M Platinum certification demonstrates that innovation and sustainability must go hand in hand. At DFactory Barcelona, we not only promote the technologies that will transform the industry of the future, but we also apply the highest standards of efficiency and environmental responsibility within our own facilities. This international recognition encourages us to continue leading a more competitive, human-centred and sustainable industrial transformation.”

The CZFB’s objective is to extend these same principles of sustainability, efficiency and well-being throughout the entire DFactory Barcelona District, incorporating them into the development of the new industrial district.

Experience the Industry of the Future at Smart City Expo

The participation of the CZFB at Smart City Expo World Congress 2026 will also bring a selection of the technologies that form part of the DFactory Barcelona ecosystem to its stand, enabling visitors not only to learn about them, but also to experience them firsthand.

Throughout the three days of the event, Innovation Experience sessions will take place from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., featuring live technology demonstrations by Tetravol, Siemens, Hikvision, Excelencia Tech and ESTUN, together with Additive Spaces.

Visitors will be able to explore applications related to augmented reality, robotics, artificial intelligence, computer vision and additive manufacturing, among other technologies represented within the ecosystem.

In addition, on Thursday, November 5, starting at 10:30 a.m., the Tech Pitches sessions will bring together specialized companies to share solutions and experiences in areas such as cybersecurity, industrial digitalization, additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), advanced sensing technologies, augmented reality and robotics.

Visitors will also could discover the DFactory Barcelona District scale model and, through virtual reality headsets, enjoy an immersive tour of the new buildings to see firsthand what the spaces that will make up the expansion will look like.

As Blanca Sorigué concluded, “We do not want visitors merely to discover the technologies that are transforming our industry. We want them to experience them, because innovation reaches its full value when it becomes a real solution and when we are able to bring it closer to people.”