The project, called Tanger 66, is located in an innovation district in Poblenou. The former industrial area is the subject of one of Europe’s largest regeneration projects and Tanger 66 is on behalf of UK and European Investments and Urban Input.
The project repurposed a mid-century industrial building to create more than 8,400 square meres of workspace. The building was snapped up by Hewlett Packard, which pre-let the building ahead of completion.
Oliver Bayliss, associate director at BuckleyGrayYeoman, said: “Tanger 66 is a departure from the norm in Barcelona – where market convention tends much more towards scrapping a building of this age and rebuilding.
“Our client wanted an approach that BuckleyGrayYeoman has successfully developed in East London, which says you can repurpose and dramatically improve a building without sacrificing the edgy urban character of the surrounding area.
“The district in Poblenou is a huge regeneration project with all the ingredients necessary for one of Europe’s major knowledge and innovation quarters – and is home to a thriving ecosystem of companies and talent. Tanger 66 sets a new precedent for the area that has already proven popular with one of the world’s biggest tech firms.”
Fraser Denton, managing director for continental Europe UK and European investments at Urban Input said: “Rather than reaching for the wrecking ball, the vision was clever yet inspiring; making the most of the existing structure and celebrating its industrial heritage.”
BuckleyGrayYeoman was commissioned to conduct a feasibility study on the 1940s warehouse at Calle Tánger 62-74. What the practice found was a rationally-designed building with a robust concrete frame and exceptional four-metre floor-to-ceiling heights.
BuckleyGrayYeoman’s scheme focussed on making good the building envelope and replacing the glazing, improving the servicing and remodelling cores of the building to introduce bathrooms on each floor. A new office reception in an impressive double height space was created by removing a section of the first-floor slab.
Additional flourishes include an external totem structure in Corten steel that maximises the presence of the building on a corner facing a crossroads, a matching Corten portal that frames the new reception and a rooftop garden set over two terraces to offer views across Barcelona, taking in the Mediterranean sea and Jean Nouvel’s nearby Torre Agbar.
The completion of Tanger 66 marks the beginning of BuckleyGrayYeoman’s expansion into Europe with the practice recently appointed on a host of European projects including an office repositioning project in the centre of Madrid; the redevelopment of a warehouse in Norrköping, Sweden; and the refurbishment of a commercial building in the heart of Milan.
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