The Consorci recovers 1/3 of the commercial land in the Free Trade Zone by refurbishing the unit that once housed the Modelo Prison project

Barcelona, 15 March 2019. The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona is launching a project this March to refurbish unit B on the Free Trade Zone – which once housed Barcelona’s Modelo prison building project – recovering a third of the commercial and logistics space on this site.

The publicly-owned company will invest 4.2 million euros in fully refurbishing this 11,426 m² building to create five independent logistics warehouses measuring between 2,000 m² and 2,500 m² with loading and unloading bays of 3,220 m², a forklift truck charging area, offices, meeting rooms and changing rooms, as well as storage space.

The project includes upgrading loading and unloading facilities to create 30 pneumatic platforms weighing 15 tons each, with awnings to provide protection from inclement weather. The upgrade includes a new roof and exterior joinery of the unit and improvements to the 10,500 m² outdoor infrastructures, a modernised lighting system, a video surveillance system around the perimeter and a car park for both conventional and electric vehicles.

Unit B was severely damaged when its former tenants were evicted in July 2006, when the regional government and the City Council of Barcelona decided to earmark the 25,000 m² suite for use as a preventive detention centre and open prison, buildings which would enable the closure of the Barcelona Modelo prison in the Eixample neighbourhood in Barcelona.

The prison project underwent a series of administrative segregations and numerous planning changes that were later reversed when the authorities decided on a new location for the prison facilities, which is currently scheduled for construction in Streets E and A of the Industrial Estate on two plots measuring 20,000 m² and 6,500 m².

Click on the link to see a photograph of the unit refurbishment project for logistics purposes.