MARVEL, the award-winning architecture,landscape architecture, interior design, and urban planning practice, has beenselected alongside its partner firm, Garcés de Seta Bonet Arquitectes, as thewinners of the architectural competition organized by the Government ofCatalonia for the renovation and expansion of the Tres Xemeneies(Three Chimneys) building, a former, now-obsolete thermoelectric plant, into amodern cultural, technological, and educational center that will become thefuture headquarters of Catalunya Media City in thisiconic Mediterranean city. Their proposal, titled “E la nave va”,stood out among 26 proposals submitted in this international competition.
The project, designed by both firms, aims tostrike a balance between preserving industrial heritage and creating newfunctional, sustainable spaces. “Transforming an infrastructure that had asignificant environmental impact in the past into one that promotes the futureof media collaboration by leveraging theexisting structure to reduce the energy consumption of the new program is a keyobjective for the architecture of the future,” said Jonathan Marvel,principal of MARVEL, a Puerto Rican architect who began his career in Barcelonain the 1990s. In 2022, MARVEL opened its practice in the Catalan capital,joining its offices in Puerto Rico, New York, and Virginia.
In their proposal, MARVEL and Garcés de SetaBonet Arquitectes preserve the existing building almost entirely, whileincorporating a new structure that extends and connects it to the surroundinglandscape, enabling a seamless transition between the new complex and itsrenewed urban context.
Sustainability is a cornerstone of the project.The new roof will feature 4,500 m² of solar panels, ensuring substantialrenewable energy production. Additionally, the architectural design aims toreduce environmental impact through passive architecture and bioclimaticstrategies that minimize energy demand. Catalunya Media Cityis positioned to become a hub for digital and audiovisual innovation. The TresXemeneies building will host training programs for 2,500 studentsannually, technology business incubators, exhibition and digital productionspaces, and a resource center equipped with cutting-edge audiovisualtechnology.
“We’ve designed a proposal that plays withconnections and intersections that are temporal, landscape-related, andterritorial. One of its main features will be linking the city and the sea,creating a large communal space for users and neighbors to coexist. For thefirst time, the building will have a balcony facing Badalona,” said JordiGarcés, co-founder of Garcés de Seta Bonet Arquitectes.
Construction is scheduled to begin after the summer of 2025, with thecollaboration of various sector stakeholders. The combined expertise of MARVELin historic structure renovation and GDSB’s experience in urban and culturaldesign ensures a proposal of high architectural and social value.
“This achievement is one we share with Puerto Rico. We are proud to continueleaving creative and sustainable footprints for the enjoyment of futuregenerations,” Marvel concluded.
