Present and future

Older people who have lived in Poblenou all their lives remember Can Ricart as one of the first factories in Catalonia for producing mechanically printed cotton fabrics, a historical reference point for Barcelona’s industrialisation.

As part of the urban transformation and regeneration Poblenou is experiencing, Can Ricart has recently been turned into a space that can be used by the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), which can now expand its facilities in this unique building.

Pole of innovation

The acquisition of Can Ricart means the UB, the oldest university in the city and one of the most important, will be able to expand its audiovisual communication, library and information science campus, for masters and postgraduate studies, by 10,000 square metres.

This future university centre in 22@, an area which acts as a pole of innovation, will give a new, modern, contemporary face to university education in Barcelona. And the technological character of this district will encourage the development of new applied technologies.