Jaume Collboni visits the expansion works of Barcelona’s new urban industry district

• The Mayor of Barcelona visits the progress of DFactory Barcelona District, the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona’s project that will transform the current industrial estate into a new innovation-driven industrial district.

• Collboni, accompanied by Deputy Mayor Jordi Valls, the State’s Special Delegate at the CZFB, Pere Navarro, and the organisation’s General Director, Blanca Sorigué, learned first-hand about the new buildings and the planned timeline for their completion.

• The CZFB is committed to an urban, innovative, digitalised and sustainable industry, integrated within the city and capable of generating economic activity, attracting talent and accelerating the adoption of new technologies.

Barcelona, 6 November 2026.- The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, visited the DFactory Barcelona expansion works this morning, accompanied by Deputy Mayor, Jordi Valls, and Barcelona City Council’s Chief Architect, María Bohigas. The Special State Delegate to the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium (CZFB), Pere Navarro, and the organisation’s Director General, Blanca Sorigué, welcomed the municipal delegation and guided them on a tour of the new spaces that will make up the DFactory Barcelona District.

During the visit, CZFB representatives presented the Mayor with an overall vision of the project and an update on the progress of its various developments. The tour began in front of the current DFactory Barcelona building and continued through the ground floor of the Cube Building, designed as an open space for hosting community events, concerts, exhibitions, cultural activities, networking events, and conferences. The delegation also visited the interior of Building A, which is intended to house laboratories, production centres, and offices for companies leading industrial innovation. The tour concluded with a visit to the ground floor of Building D, a service-oriented facility conceived as the district’s social hub and central meeting place for the entire community.

Expansion progresses according to schedule

The expansion works of DFactory Barcelona are progressing according to the established timetable. The completion of the Cube Building is scheduled for the end of November, including the installation of its large digital screen, together with the urbanisation works of the main avenue and the agora area. During December, work will continue the completion of the façades and roofs of Buildings A and D, as well as the development of their surrounding public spaces. Construction of Building B is scheduled to begin in January 2027.

The project’s key milestone will take place in February 2027, with the inauguration of the DFactory Barcelona expansion. From March onwards, the Cube Building will host its first official event, while activity in Buildings A and D will gradually begin. The first companies joining this new phase are expected to move in between March and April. This transformation will enable DFactory Barcelona to grow from its current 17,000 m² to nearly 60,000 m², as part of a broader project that aims to reach 100,000 m² across the entire DFactory Barcelona District.

In this context, the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, highlighted that: “Barcelona has always been an industrial city, and we want it to remain so by adapting its industry to the major challenges of the 21st century. DFactory Barcelona District is an excellent example of this transformation: a more innovative, digital, sustainable, and talent-driven industry that generates economic activity and quality employment, while helping to build the Barcelona of the future.”

A new relationship between industry and the city

DFactory Barcelona District represents the evolution of the industrial model that the CZFB is promoting for Barcelona: an urban industry that is innovative, digitalised, and sustainable, fully integrated into the city and capable of generating economic activity, attracting talent, and accelerating the adoption of new technologies.

In this regard, Pere Navarro, the State’s Special Delegate at the CZFB, stated: “The cities of the future are also built through their industries. We cannot build the Barcelona of tomorrow with the industrial models of the past. We need an innovative, digitalised, and sustainable industry, capable of integrating into the city and becoming a true driver of economic and social development.” Navarro added that: “DFactory Barcelona District represents a new way of understanding the relationship between industry and the city, and our contribution to a Barcelona that aims to continue leading the industrial, technological, and urban transformation of Southern Europe.”

Barcelona has a strong industrial tradition, as well as extensive expertise, talent, innovation capacity, and significant international projection. It is on these foundations that DFactory Barcelona District is being developed, conceived as an environment where businesses, technology, knowledge, and talent can coexist, collaborate, and generate new opportunities.

From managing spaces to generating opportunities

The project also marks a new step in the evolution of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona itself. Throughout its history, the organisation has contributed to Barcelona’s industrial and economic development by fostering productive activity, attracting businesses, and creating jobs. In recent years, this role has evolved alongside the transformation of industry. The CZFB has shifted from managing industrial spaces to creating ecosystems capable of generating opportunities, connecting businesses, knowledge, technology, and talent to turn innovation into real economic activity.

For her part, Blanca Sorigué emphasised that: “DFactory Barcelona has demonstrated that when we connect industry, innovation, technology, and talent, new opportunities emerge. With this expansion, we are taking a significant step forward and moving towards a true next-generation industrial district, designed to foster collaboration between companies and accelerate the transformation of the economy.”

DFactory Barcelona has established itself as one of the leading benchmarks in the field of industrial digital transformation and is now entering a new phase with the creation of DFactory Barcelona District. This initiative seeks to transform the traditional concept of an industrial estate into a district of urban, innovative, and sustainable industry, adapted to the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Key milestones of the expansion

• November 2026: Scheduled completion of the Cube Building, the main avenue, and the agora.
• December 2026: Progress and completion of the façades, roofing, and surrounding public realm works for Buildings A and D.
• January 2027: Planned start of construction works on Building B.
• February 2027: Official inauguration of the DFactory Barcelona expansion.
• March 2027: First official event to be held in the Cube Building, together with the gradual start of operations in Buildings A and D.
• March-April 2027: Expected arrival of the first companies joining this new phase of development.