Circular Economy & 4.0 Industry Innovation Hub for the regeneration of the Besòs industrial district
An industrial building will be renovated to house the new Mondragon Team Academy-Teamlabs laboratory in Barcelona. The project and process is understood as a collective learning laboratory towards more sustainable models. It aims to be a driving force behind the Industry 4.0 activity hub and a catalyst for the transformation of one of Europe's future sustainable neighbourhoods. It will perform as an academic-professional, public-private, leisure-work and indoor-outdoor ecotone.
Regional
Spain
Barcelona City Council
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Teamlabs, S.L Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Berta Last name of representative: Lázaro Gender: Female Nationality: Spain Function: Co-founder and Director of TeamLabs Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Pallars, 73 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08018 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 659 28 32 13 E-mail:berta@teamlabs.es Website:https://www.teamlabs.es/labs/teamlabs-barcelona/
Name of the organisation(s): MU Enpresagintza S. Coop Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Lander Last name of representative: Beloki Gender: Male Nationality: Spain Function: Dean of faculty of business - Mondragon Unibertsitatea Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Ibarra zelaia 2, Town: Oñati /Guipuzcoa) Postal code: 20560 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 679 84 34 59 E-mail:lbeloki@mondragon.edu Website:https://mondragonteamacademy.com/
Name of the organisation(s): Barcelona Activa (Barcelona City Council) Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local) First name of representative: Lorenzo Last name of representative: Di Pietro Gender: Male Nationality: Spain Function: Director Ejecutivo de Emprendeduría Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Carrer de la Llacuna 162 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08018 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 659 28 32 13 E-mail:lorenzo.dipietro@barcelonactiva.cat Website:https://barcelonactiva.cat/es/
Name of the organisation(s): collective Oik Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Sandra Last name of representative: Martin-Lara Gender: Female Nationality: Spain Function: Co-founder Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: alaba, 100 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08018 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 697 14 27 67 E-mail:hola@slowuparq.com Website:http://slowuparq.com
The Circular Economy & Industry 4.0 Innovation Hub is to be integrated in a municipally-owned and already existing industrial building located in Ciutat d’Asunción Street in Barcelona. It is conceived as a learning laboratory of innovation and a platform that promotes entrepreneurship and talent linked to the emerging areas of Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy by:
- identifying areas of opportunity for the CIRCULAR ECONOMY in Barcelona especially linked to the opportunities of the Industry 4.0 revolution.
- setting up different technology and business training activities aimed at entrepreneurs and professionals so that they acquire the knowledge that industry demands or will demand in the field of digitisation.
- attracting new talent in the field of industry and digitalisation and bringing them to cooperate with the existing entrepreneurial talent in the city, especially with the LEINN Laboratory of MU together with Teamlabs in Barcelona.
- promoting formulas close to the circular economy as a business philosophy, as a way to generate a more competitive, sustainable and enriching organisation for the city.
- deploying a collaborative working methodology to better match the needs of the industrial sector and the capabilities of the city's advanced digital services companies.
- creating new companies and initiatives in the industrial and digital sphere.
- creating an ecosystem around the circular economy and digitalisation that connects multiple actors in the city (HUB 4.0, 22@, Barcelona Circular City, Circular Economy Club).
Learning laboratory
Innovation observatory
Entrepreneurial Community
Building Decarbonisation
Industrial fabric regeneration
The implementation of the Circular Economy & Industry 4.0 Innovation Hub addresses social, economic and environmental sustainability through collective learning and design:
- The creation of a work/study place for a large number of people in the region. The LEINN degree trains students to create companies, which can end up creating more employment in the local area.
- a Zero Emission Building, which means the total primary consumption is < 70kWh/m²/year and 100% of the energy demand will be covered with renewable energies generated on-site and/or renewable energy from a local energy community or from a district heating or cooling system.
- The creation of a local energetic community in one of the ground floor spaces of the hub that will help reduce energy inflation and poverty effects in the area, favour the development of a local productive fabric, create employment and decarbonise society.
- The reduction of the carbon incorporated in materials throughout their life cycle. This will imply minimum material transformation, the extension of the lifespan of solutions and the CO2 impact calculation of the building materials.
- Minimum demolition in the construction process will economise the building process and avoid consuming the territory’s resources. The demolished or dismantled material will be reused either in the innovation hub or will be put to another use in the neighbourhood. To this end, the existing building’s concrete structure will be preserved.
- The use of local and natural materials as a measure to reduce material transportation, strengthen the local economy and benefit the Bon Pastor community.
- The use of adaptable, flexible and dismountable resources to allow reuse and recycling.
- Innovation work in relation to upcycling materials of the site with investigation groups and industrialists.
- A green roof and façade that will favour biodiversity, reduce the heat island effect and allow for the lamination of rainwater.
The learning laboratory will have a flexible, interactive and healthy spatial organisation in order to contribute to the quality of life and well-being of the users of the building and respond to new work and education formats that break away from a hierarchical teacher-student relationship. To this end, the resulting space will have:
A healthy construction
The built environment must ensure quality of life in terms of physical, mental and social well-being. This is why the new hub will be:
- a toxic-free space in contact with natural systems,
- a space for learning and achieving new milestones
- a space that maintains individual commitment to personal ethical values.
- a space for stable and trusting relationships with other people.
Flexibility and free appropriation
The programme requires spatial flexibility to accommodate varied working and learning formats. Accordingly, each floor is diaphanous and is delimited only by perforations in the floor (for lighting and ventilation) and wooden furniture that can house meetings, exhibitions, study, lecture, storage, etc. Each floor is different and users can freely appropriate the space and change its distribution. Users taking ownership is key to generating a sense of belonging.
Gallery spaces
The gallery spaces of the hub will serve as resting areas or winter gardens and contribute to improving interior temperature and humidity conditions.
Façade openings
The existing façade’s openings are horizontal strips above eye level. To ensure natural lighting inside and allow a visual connection with the exterior, a fully transparent façade with alicantina shutters of carbonised wood is proposed.
Biophilia
Nature contributes to the well-being and comfort of people by means of olfactory, sound and visual stimuli originating from nature and also counteracts toxins and carbon in the environment. In pursuit of this, vegetation is incorporated into the façade, the roof and the interior of the building.
Active participation in the design of all the users
A co-design process will be carried out by all the actors that will use the building (academics, students, service personnel). All of them will contribute to identifying the key aspects to take into consideration in the design of the building through participatory events, individual interviews, surveys, presentations and workshops.
Co-responsibility
A close collaboration with the users of the building and the local community aims at fostering social inclusion and improving the well-being of members among the community. This is made possible thanks to a close cooperation between public authorities, citizens and private stakeholders during the entire process of design and execution of the building and the application of a spiral work method which includes planning, designing, constructing and evaluation. This methodology enables us to define ways of progress towards the well-being of all, to identify the situations of exclusion not only based on material criteria, but also immaterial ones. The building’s holistic performance will be cyclically assessed and pilot actions will be implemented for continuous improvement.
Universal accessibility
This space has been designed with universal accessibility in mind so it can be comfortably used by all people regardless of their physical condition.
Work and programmes social impact
The estimated overall annual figures (based on analogous experiences and innovation hubs that Mondragon Unibertsitatea) for the Besòs Innovation Hub are:
300 people in the Stable Community of the Innovation Hub
160 LEINN team entrepreneurs
30 annual postgraduate students
180 accredited professionals to develop Industry 4.0 and the circular economy in non-formal training programmes
30 entrepreneurial projects in acceleration
15 incubated startups
600 people participating in free and open activities and services
23 Innovation Hub working team
10.000 people impacted indirectly through the dissemination of innovations in social media
Co-design process
All the agents involved in the project will participate in the co-design participatory process: students, teaching staff, management team and service staff (1400 people). The implemented design of the building will be a result of the collective requirements of all the involved agents.
Human capital investment
The project will make intelligent use of existing natural, material, human and social capital as an available resource. The civil society as a whole will benefit from this as the project invests more in human capital, that is, in knowledge, skills and health that is fundamental to the productivity and well-being of individuals, as well as to the economic growth of the country.
Open ground floor
The ground floor will be open to other agents/individuals that don’t necessarily belong to MTA TeamLabs or the Faculty of Business. It will function in a decentralised and self-managed way by Bon Pastor citizens and house activities such as training, local association meetings, workshops for repairing material, electric recharging points and a local energetic community. Consequently, a variety of social profiles, irrespective of age, origin and economic status, will be able to benefit from the facilities of the innovation hub.
The initiative arises from a public-private partnership between Barcelona City Council in the framework of the strategy for the future of the Besòs industrial estates, in commitment to the Barcelona 2030 agenda (Green Deal). One of the strategic axes of the renewal of urban industrial districts is to establish business competitiveness programmes, to find agreements with potential tractor projects.
The City Council acquires ownership of industrial buildings and puts them out to public tender. This project is the winner of ‘THE SELECTION OF AN INNOVATION HUB PROJECT IN THE FIELD OF INDUSTRY 4.0 AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY, TO BE DEVELOPED IN THE MUNICIPALLY-OWNED INDUSTRIAL BUILDING LOCATED AT CIUTAT D'ASUNCIÓN STREET, 16, BARCELONA’.
A preliminary study and interaction with different agents in the neighborhood and the city, as well as possible partners (Barcelona Activa, Local Economic Development Agency, Association of companies in the Bon Pastor industrial estate, manufacturing Athenaeums, local manufacturing workshops such as TMDC, Ideas for Change I4C, Roca&Salvatella R&S, Ship 2Be, OiK regenerative architecture studio,...) is carried out prior to the tendering process.
Project-based learning
The Circular Economy & 4.0 Industry Innovation Hub is laboratory that will offer collective learning experiences that will allow students to identify and enhance their individual talents, as well as develop skills and competences, acquiring content in a cross-cutting manner.
Permaculture
The ethics, principles and methodology of permaculture have governed and will continue governing the design work of the Circular Economy & 4.0 Industry Innovation Hub. It is a multi-faceted, integrated and ecologically harmonious system for designing human-centred landscapes in the most efficient and sustainable manner.
Anthropology and Environmental Psychology
Due to the personal and collective variability of the local inhabitants and the community that will make up the innovation hub, applying analytical tools from anthropology and environmental psychology is necessary to identify the particularities of the local socio-cultural landscape and define a design that responds to this. To give a few examples, surveys, interviews with the inhabitants of the area, meetings with the different neighbourhood associations and cartographic work of the urban, environmental, social and economic premises will be carried out.
(Bio)architecture and (bio)construcción
As part of the holistic analysis, the design is and will be based on a bioclimatic analysis of the site, building materials and building envelope. The inputs extracted from this analysis will define the cooling and heating systems of the building in order to minimise the building's energy consumption, reduce building and operational costs and generate a non-toxic work and study atmosphere for the users.
All these knowledge fields come together in a learning path that starts with the design of the building guided by an interdisciplinary team and continues throughout the experiences acquired in the learning laboratory.
Singularity of the Innovation Hub
The pioneering and unique nature of the learning lab within the current panorama of spaces designed to promote talent and entrepreneurship related to the circular economy and Industry 4.0 makes it a national benchmark experience.
Design based on the principles and values of the organisation
The design principles of the project seek to enhance the learning experience and align with new pedagogical models creating beautiful, sustainable and inclusive spaces. The building will include:
- Environments that facilitate new student-teacher relationships
These don’t reproduce classrooms where the teacher talks and the students just listen or respond. New class dynamics involve practical group sessions that require space and furniture adaptability to new arrangements that break with the teacher-student hierarchy.
- Spaces that host non-regulating learning
The classic corridor disappears to give way to new spaces that aren’t mere transit spaces and enable learning and facilitate activities that help create community and strengthen social relationships.
Interdisciplinary design team
The design of the project is guided and defined, jointly with the future building users, by an interdisciplinary team made up of specialists in education, permaculture, anthropology, bioarchitecture and bioconstruction. This diverse composition allows for a cross-cutting approach when defining the project, understood as part of a broader and complex ecosystem.
Place ethnography
Innovatively, the analytical phase of the project takes up the same weight as the design phase. An initial phase of in-depth analysis of the physical, social, cultural, economic and environmental specificities of the area is stipulated through anthropological fieldwork.
Material inventory
With the objective of building decarbonisation, an inventory of the existing building elements and a subsequent evaluation of their use in the refurbishment will be carried out.
Learning process of the laboratory
The learning process of the laboratory is inseparable from the analysis phase, design and implementation of the project. The collective learning experience initiates with the co-design of the building and continues throughout all the activities and projects that are carried out in the laboratory. The non-hierarchical and project-based learning serves as inspiration in the entire process of implementation of the learning laboratory.
Publication of the project analysis, design and implementation process of the learning laboratory
The photographic record of the entire process of analysis, design, construction and functioning of the laboratory lab will be compiled into a publication to enable the process to be passed on to other projects that wish to replicate aspects of it.
Co-creation design
The design of the building will be the result of a participatory design process which will involve all the future users of the building. Making the users a part of the design process guarantees an individual and collective appropriation of the users and extends the functional lifespan of the building. During this process, different techniques and activities will be deployed to facilitate the understanding of the needs and wishes of the users.
Building strategies that help to decarbonise the complete process of implementation of an architectural project
Transferable building-related initiatives of the project include: an inventory of the available material in the site for later reuse in the rehabilitation project; upcycling the existing materials of the building to be rehabilitated; an updated calculation of the embodied carbon associated with materials and the construction process throughout the whole lifecycle of the Circular Economy & 4.0 Industry Innovation Hub.
Radical learning methodology
Once the Circular Economy & 4.0 Industry Innovation Hub is operational, an educational project will be implemented where one can experiment a new disruptive model of a 21st century university. It will be a transdisciplinary space for teams to work and learn through real projects seeking to create global impact. No teachers, no classrooms, no conventional classes, no exams. They will work on projects, in interdisciplinary, diverse teams that come from all around the world to develop a global mindset.
Co-creation design process
All the individuals and agents that will make up the community inhabiting the Circular Economy & 4.0 Industry Innovation Hub will be involved in the design process.
Permaculture design methodology
The design process of the Circular Economy & 4.0 Industry Innovation Hub is based on the design permaculture process made up of several phases: assessment, visioning, designing, and implementation. The phases are based on natural systems thinking, ethical intention, and protracted and thoughtful observation. It consists of a reiterative process in which one can move linearly through design steps or may circle from one to another and back again. Depending on the information that arises in each phase, steps may be revisited and the design revised.
The project addresses the 17 Sustainable Development Goals:
- End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
- End hunger, achieve food sovereignty and security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
- Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
- Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
- Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
- Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
- Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
- Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
- Reduce inequality within and among countries
- Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
- Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
- Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
- Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
- Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
The Faculty of business studies of Mondragon Unibertsitatea, which forms part of MONDRAGON CORPORATION, in collaboration with Teamlabs, S.L. - an educational company that creates learning and innovation laboratories using a radically new methodology -, have won the tender for ‘THE SELECTION OF AN INNOVATION HUB PROJECT IN THE FIELD OF INDUSTRY 4.0 AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY, TO BE DEVELOPED IN THE MUNICIPALLY-OWNED INDUSTRIAL BUILDING LOCATED AT CIUTAT D'ASUNCIÓN STREET, 16, BARCELONA’.
The project has a series of programmes to improve individual and collective business competitiveness:
- Industry 4.0 support programmes (appropriate technology, manufacturing athenaeum, etc.).
- Programmes to improve energy efficiency, the circular economy and sustainable mobility ("ecojunking" programmes, passive technical training, road mobility, etc.).
- Business cooperation programmes that promote joint work between companies and their collaboration with the city's technology centers and innovation hubs.
- Training and work programme in trades in areas of occupation in the industrial estates for young women from the neighbourhoods and with the collaboration of companies in the industrial estates.
- Employment programmes in digital, energy, etc., to respond to new demands.
More specifically:
- Trend Analysis Laboratory in Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy: Quarterly programme of non-formal training, talent attraction and talent promotion. 40 hours
- Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy Think Tank: Biannual programme of non-formal training and talent attraction. 60h
- Programme of experimentation and prototyping of appropriate technology. Six-monthly non-formal training programme, talent attraction and talent promotion. 80h
- Startup creation (Incubation programme in Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy). Non-regulated annual training programme, talent attraction and talent promotion. Last course LEINN
- Programme for groups in residence. Programme to attract international talent and boost local talent. Activity to create and energise the community linked to the hub and connect the hub with other hubs or international ecosystems. 3 to 6 months per year.
- Industry 4.0 and circular economy communities of practice. Talent attraction programme, activity to create and energise the community linked to the hub.
- Around the clock in 80 worlds. Activity to create and energise the community linked to the hub and connect the hub with the territory and citizens.
