Long-awaited inauguration in Barcelona of an emblematic building on the left side of the Eixample. Estel, a construction that belonged to Telefónica and that had been empty for 14 years, opens after the period of the works has been extended, definitively. Located at the confluence of Avinguda Roma and Carrer Mallorca, the building, a complex for state-of-the-art offices, is called to be a new hub of innovation, science and talent and also to revitalize an entire environment that had been paralysed.

Inauguration with authorities

The official inauguration of the building was attended by the Mayor of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni, and the Fourth Deputy Mayor and Councilor of the Eixample, Jordi Valls. In his speech, Collboni highlighted that this new construction “follows in the footsteps of Francesc Mitjans and represents a symbol of today’s Barcelona and the paradigm of a city that wants to redefine itself”. The Mayor added that the new Estel building “reflects the sectors of the knowledge economy, talent and innovation, and is an architectural marvel that will become part of the city’s Skyline”.

Sustainable and innovative Building

The entire building, with the renovation that has lasted 3 years, now has a total of 49.500 square meters of offices, 3.500 meters of services (with a gym and other rest and meeting areas), 5.000 more of green areas (on the roof and in the surroundings) and 3.225 square meters of space for shops and restaurants. To accommodate visitors, on the other hand, it will have 414 parking spaces for vehicles, almost 300 for motorcycles and 424 for bicycles.

The construction has been designed to operate efficiently. Solar panels have been installed on the roof that provide energy to the entire building, and a pleasant and comfortable space has been designed in the surroundings, with terraces, green spaces and large areas for rest or meetings.

Economic hub in the neighborhood

The first activity to be installed in the building is the new AstraZeneca Hub, which is moving from Diagonal with the aim of expanding its business and reaching a thousand employees in Barcelona. The English pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Cambridge, will occupy a total of 10.000 square meters, two full floors, of the building. And it will be the headquarters in Spain of a company that is a continental leader in clinical trials and has headquarters in Sweden, France, Canada, the United States, India, China and Japan.

This headquarters, the Global Hub of Barcelona, ​​will lead the peninsular activity and will promote the development of the new generation of treatments for the following 6 areas: oncology, rare diseases, renal and metabolism, vaccines and immunotherapies, respiratory and immunology, and cardiovascular.

All this activity will be added to the offices and companies that invest, and will revive life in the neighborhood and the surrounding area, which in recent years had many closed premises. Some of them have already reopened or have been acquired to re-invigorate the activity that had been deteriorating in recent years. It is expected that the new shops and premises in the building will open their doors in October.