A new building will house research groups from five of the seven centres in the BIST Community working on cutting-edge multidisciplinary research in precision medicine, at the Ciutadella of Knowledge area (Ciutadella del Coneixement) in Barcelona. This will deepen synergies within what will become a leading biomedical research and innovation hub in Southern Europe.
The BIST precision medicine building will bring together around one thousand researchers from five of the seven research centres within the BIST community: the entire Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), half of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), and various research groups from the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the latter already based at the PRBB main building. This will mark the first time that BIST research groups from complementary disciplines will share a common space, fostering true multidisciplinarity and creating a vibrant environment for scientific collaboration and innovation.
This building will represent nearly two-thirds (20,600 m²) of the total construction planned for the block known as the Antic Mercat del Peix (former Barcelona’s fish market), which will also include the new building for the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (6,500 m²) and a building for Pompeu Fabra University (7,300 m²).
Foundation work on the site began in early 2023 and is expected to be completed by autumn 2025, at which point construction of the above-ground buildings will begin, and it is expected to be operational by 2028. Upon completion, BIST will take on the scientific leadership.
The project originated in 2019 when BIST launched the initiative to locate its biomedical research groups in a single, purpose-built facility. The internationally renowned architecture studio Barozzi Veiga won the design competition and has developed the technical project. To date, the building’s development has been supported by a legacy left by Ms M. Àngels Recolons, a contribution from the “la Caixa” Foundation, and funding from the Government of Catalonia and from the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Spanish Government, as well as support from the Barcelona City Council. In 2024, the Catalan Government assumed responsibility for the construction of the building, and in 2025 it was decided together with the Barcelona City Council and BIST itself to entrust the promotion of the building to the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) consortium, which includes both public administrations, and which has received a €100 million loan from the Catalan government to construct the building.
The Antic Mercat del Peix project receives institutional support from the Catalan Government, the Barcelona City Council and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). In addition, the University of Barcelona (UB), the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), the Pasqual Maragall Foundation (FPM) and the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) are also participating in the initiative.
The BIST building for precision medicine research and Innovation
The new BIST building on the grounds of the Antic Mercat del Peix will establish a new reference space for multidisciplinary scientific research in precision medicine, bringing together research groups from IRB Barcelona, IBEC, ICN2, CRG and ICFO, totalling approximately 900 individuals. The building will have eight stories dedicated to laboratories, technological platforms, scientific services, offices and meeting rooms.
With this new infrastructure, the BIST Community will foster synergies across diverse expertise and technologies, with the ultimate goal of improving human health.
This dynamic environment will drive close collaboration among leading BIST Community researchers working in diverse fields such as genetics and molecular biology, biocompatible materials, nanoscience, artificial intelligence and photonics. Together, they will address the global challenge of developing tools for precision medicine, specifically aiming to:
- Develop new and precise diagnostic tools
- Discover new personalised treatments that are safer and more effective
- Understand the keys to healthy aging.
Furthermore, this endeavour will forge collaborations with the best Catalan hospitals to promote the translation of scientific knowledge into clinical practice
The BIST Precision Medicine building will enhance the existing potential of the biomedical hub on Barcelona’s waterfront. The area, which also includes the main building of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), the Hospital del Mar, and the Pasqual Maragall Foundation (FPM), is poised to become one of the most significant biomedical research hubs in Southern Europe.
Environmentally conscious architecture by Barozzi Veiga architects
The new BIST building is designed by the architecture studio Barozzi Veiga, which was selected after an international architecture competition organised by BIST. Barozzi Veiga’s project was chosen for the uniqueness of the planned building, characterised by its volume and defining eaves, the interior layout, and its solutions to environmental requirements. Both the design and construction of this new building prioritise meeting the criteria for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Desing (LEED) platinum certification, which recognises achievements in sustainable, energy efficient designs.
Barozzi Veiga was founded in Barcelona in 2004 by Fabrizzio Barozzi and Alberto Veiga, and has received the 2015 Mies Van der Rohe European Architecture Prize for the Szczecin Phillarmonic Hall (Poland), among numerous other awards. In 2019 they received the “Best Architects 20” award and the Chicago Atheneum International Award for the Bündner Museum of Fine Arts in Chur (Switzerland). Other notable buildings designed by the studio that have received wide international recognition include the Tanzhaus Cultural Centre in Zürich and the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts in Lausanne. The BIST building will be the first piece by Barozzi Veiga to be built in the city of Barcelona.
The promotion and construction of the building are being carried out with the support or partnership of the following institutions:
The promotion and construction of the building are being carried out with the support or partnership of the following institutions:
