DFactory Barcelona has received the 2022 Infrastructure Award at the 7th Infrastructure Night

• The DFactory Barcelona building, promoted and managed by the CZFB, has been recognised by the Consejo Asesor de Infraestructuras de Catalunya (Advisory Council of Infrastructures of Catalonia) for its disruptive nature, being a clear example of innovation and sustainability, in line with the United Nations SDGs.

• In addition to the CZFB, the other three agents involved in the construction of the “factory of the future” have also obtained this prestigious award: Turull Sorensen Arquitectos, VOPI 4, and PGI-Torrella.

• The award ceremony, held at the Foment del Treball, was attended by the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, among other personalities.

Barcelona, 14 June 2023 – The disruptive building DFactory Barcelona, promoted and managed by the Consorci de la Zona Franca (CZFB), has been recognised by the “Infrastructure Award 2022” at the VII edition of the Night of Infrastructures, organised by the Advisory Council of Infrastructures of Catalonia.

The award has distinguished the different agents involved in the execution of the work: CZFB as a promoter company; Turull Sorensen Arquitectos, the design company; the construction company VOPI 4; and PGI-Torrella, which has carried out the engineering and construction management. The design of the building is inspired by the industrial tradition of Zona Franca from Barcelona, facilitating the relationship between people and machines, as a reflection of the new industrial era.

The awards ceremony, held yesterday at the auditorium of Foment del Treball, was attended by the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez; the Counsellor of Territory of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Esther Capella; the second deputy mayor of Barcelona City Council, Janet Sanz; the president of Foment del Treball, Josep Sánchez Llibre; and the president of the Advisory Council of Infrastructures of Catalonia, Joaquim Llansó;

DFactory Barcelona is a business innovation ecosystem of 17,000 m2, divided into 4 floors with open and diaphanous spaces, where a new way of producing, more efficient and sustainable, is being developed in the era of Industry 4.0. The building was created following the United Nations 2030 Agenda, receiving the Leed Gold certification, which certifies that it has been built with standards of high energy efficiency and sustainability.

When the building was designed, inspired by the industrial tradition of the area, the aim was to facilitate the relationship between people and machines as a reflection of the new industry. The companies are located on the different floor around a large central space for production and people relations, facilitating the development of knowledge and synergies between the inhabitants. In addition, environmentally friendly materials were used, such as roofs with photovoltaic panels, a reusable steel structure, or glass that creates selective solar protection according to the inclination of the sun, to reduce energy consumption in the interior climate.

DFactory Barcelona is one of the main innovation nodes in Europe, a space that fosters synergies between the different companies present in the ecosystem, from large corporations to startups. The building houses technologies that are key to progress towards the fourth industrial revolution: 3D printing, robotics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, sensor technology and advanced manufacturing. It currently has an occupancy rate of 85%, with the presence of 30 companies employing around 500 people. The relevance of this space, as a catalyst for innovation in industry, has meant that work is already underway on a second phase of the project, which will conclude with an expansion of the facilities of more than 72,500 m2, with 1,500 people expected to work directly and 5,000 indirectly.

The Special Delegate of the State of the, Pere Navarro, points out: “We are very proud of the recognition from the Advisory Council of Infrastructures of Catalonia because DFactory Barcelona is a key project for CZFB. DFactory Barcelona is the factory of the future, the main Industry 4.0 node in Southern Europe, where a new way of producing closer, more sustainable and efficient materializes. We have a true innovation ecosystem open to the world, where synergies are created between companies from different sectors, from large corporations to startups, innovation centres and laboratories“.