Scientific activity

The Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) opened on 15 May 2006. It is the result of a joint initiative of the Generalitat (regional government) of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council and Pompeu Fabra University. Most of the activities developed at the park are financed with public funding and it organises tours and open workshops to offer citizens a chance to get a first-hand view of how it works.

The Park is made up of seven institutions: the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences at Pompeu Fabra University, the Centre for Genomic Regulation, the Barcelona Centre for Regenerative Medicine, the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, the Pasqual Maragall Foundation and the Institute of Evolutionary Biology. All of these centres are organised according to a cooperative model that is also committed to the environment and energy saving.

A building for the 21st century

The large and impressive Park headquarters were designed by Manel Brullet and Albert de Pineda. They consist of an oval-shaped building with an open space in the middle, and they cover an area of 55,000m² spread out over several levels. The floors are arranged in a horseshoe shape around a central courtyard that has been left empty and this space looks out on the sea. The exterior wood-panelled façade is suspended above the ground and this increases the sense of lightness. At first sight, the building appears as though suspended in the air and seems to be only resting gently on the ground floor.