Mias, FCC and Oua Group have presented in Research Center at Here East of the University College London, Bartlett School of Architecture London (United Kingdom) the Vallcarca project. It has been Josep Mias, founder of the Mias Architecture Study to explain the comprehensive regeneration proposal of the Sitges industrial area, in Barcelona.

Be an international reference in sustainable and respectful urbanism with the architectural heritage of Vallcarca and landscape of the Garraf Parc. This is the objective of the proposal that FCC and Oua Group have recently presented to the City Council of Sitges and the Generalitat: it is a project that involves the transformation of the old cement factory and the entire maritime front (the beach would be recovered and the port would be transformed, today still linked to the cement activity) into a new technological and audiovisual hub to the south of Barcelona.

Vallcarca's presentation took place in Here East, one of the most important industrial transformations developed in the city of London in recent years, a real example of urban transformation, in which mixed, residential, university, technological, sports uses are combined … It is one of the greatest examples of urban revolution executed in the United Kingdom and Europe. For Josep Mias "it is about applying international success models that have been analyzed throughout the long design process, in terms of transformation of industrial spaces into technological districts, a clearly model of mixed uses, with the will to be a reference world".

In Vallcarca, industries linked to the audiovisual, technological and formative sector will be implemented.

A sustainable integral regeneration opportunity

The regeneration of the former Industrial Colony of Vallcarca aims to convert the area into a high -level technological district promoted by innovation. In the image and likeness of the European innovation districts (based on the mixture of productive, residential, commercial and cultural uses with cultural, educational, sports and leisure public equipment, the idea is to create throughout the Riera, ecologically recovered, A new river park that descends from the mountain to its encounter with the sea, where a new port with productive and educational uses and beach would be configured. Thus, the project would be integrated naturally into the landscape of the Garraf Park and the environment and cultural and historical heritage would be respected at all times.

The new technological hub would occupy only around 16 hectares (20% would be green zone) of the current industrial urban land, which includes a total area of 49 hectares (20 of them dedicated to the cement activity, even in operation). The remaining surface would become part of the Garraf and infrastructure parc. And it would be the new economic engine of the region, in addition to a reference in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona: it would mean the transformation of the surface occupied by the industry into activities intensive in knowledge and innovation; It would release pressure to Barcelona with a new core of economic activity to the south of the city, in the Garraf; It would connect with the main urban and economic activity nuclei; and would promote the identity and the sense of belonging through the value of the natural environment, the industrial heritage and the memory of the place.

In short, we talk about a new productive model (cemented in the economy of knowledge and innovation) that develops an urban and sustainable prototype based on the ecological transition. Everything, in order to achieve a global reference innovation district.