The contest poses the restoration of the industrial unit Nau Shield to house the new space FoodLab Barcelona, which will be an international example of creative entrepreneurship in the processed food sector and a space to develop a sustainable food industry.

The initial intention of the project is to understand the ground level of the building as an extension of the public space surrounding it, creating two new entrances that generate a flow through the interior plaza and which are located according to the main accesses to the general facility.

The main intention of the project is to better the condition of the industrial unit and its connection to its surroundings, as well as emphasising the historical architecture.

One of the main challenges of the intervention was to provide natural light to the dark center of the building, that is why a bioclimatic atrium was placed in the central gallery of the roof, creating a space with light and vegetation inside the building. This atrium also provides natural ventilation and connects all the floors of the unit with reunion spaces.

As a way to emphasize the atrium, and due to the need of generating a new access to the upper floors, a scupltural staircase is placed in the center of the space, which climbs all the levels until it reaches the roof, creating around it common spaces for the users of the FoodLab.

When it comes to the distribution of the functional program, the main floor is thought as an interior plaza where the two main upstairs accesses are located: the historical staircase and the new scupltural staircase, surrounded by a garden. Around this plaza, there are the most public pieces of the program: the exposition gallery, which can be open and connect the auditorium with the plaza; the auditorium, thought as a flexible and versatile space; and the grab&go, which is directly connected to the plaza and garden.

Using the main floor as the most public space, the other floors can be made up of more private spaces. The spaces get gradually more private as the floors go up. The semi-private spaces such as the networking area and the office are located on the first floor , and the most private spaces like the coworking area and the meeting rooms are on the second floor.

The refurbishment of the industrial unit aims for the best environmental quality, searching for the highest saving of energy, water and resources, using low cost maintenance solutions. Thanks to the bioclimatic atrium, which can house the activities that don’t require specific climatic conditions, the air-conditioned square meters are reduced. Moreover, the use of xerophilous vegetation in the atrium helps maintain a stable temperature and regulates the relative humidity of the space.

When it comes to the water cycle, the balance between the xerophilous and productive plants help reduce the use of water. No only that, but the system foresees the use of non potable water and reducing the amount of water thrown at the sewage, through collecting and reusing rainwater and exploring alternative resources for water (water ground level).

The selected materials for the project issue from the intention to differentiate the historical architecture and the intervention, repairing and painting the historical elements in white, whereas the new elements are made from a variety of biospheric materials, locally sourced and which close cycles, such as wood and glass. The new sculptural staircase incorporates the green colour found in some of the historical structural elements.