Barcelona, capital of Catalonia, is a Mediterranean and cosmopolitan city that integrates Roman remains, medieval neighbourhoods and the most beautiful examples of Modernism and the avant-garde of the twentieth century into its urban layout. Not surprisingly, UNESCO has declared a World Heritage Site emblematic constructions of Catalan architects Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Doménech i Montaner.
Barcelona is one of the cities that attracts and retains the most professional talent, both for the quality of life and for being one of the cities with the largest number of technology companies in Europe. Conferences such as Blockchain and Mobile congregate many distinctive personalities from the tech Business World of Barcelona.
The city is also characterized because of its great number of new born start-ups related with the digital world and the development of office buildings of great quality in the New Business Areas (NBA)
Barcelona has managed to enlarge its past without forgetting its future bets. The city is equipped with extraordinary infrastructures dedicated to the holding of seminars, symposiums and international competitions. Its exceptional communication networks, Mediterranean climate and many tourist attractions make Barcelona an important business city. Business parks and exhibition centers and congresses will host the most varied initiatives.
The visitor, business or leisure, can also enjoy the Mediterranean character of Barcelona, patent on the Barcelona Coast. The city also has beautiful urban beaches, marinas and golf courses by the sea. Nature lovers will not have to go too far to explore the mountains that are part of the Coastal Mountain Range and the Catalan Pyrenees.
The Central Business District of Barcelona has established itself as a prime location for financial and consulting businesses, as well as luxury retail brands. The area is also increasingly attracting start-ups and global tech companies.
Situated in the heart of Barcelona, this area has excellent transport links providing easy access to other areas of the city via metro and bus links. There are plenty of shops, restaurants and bars on offer; from high-end restaurants to more low-key bars and cafes. Due to the popularity of this area, office prices here are expensive and there is a somewhat limited supply of spaces meaning that office space tends to move quickly.
The New Business District of Barcelona is the district of innovation. With its proximity to the city centre and more affordable rents, it is a great alternative to the CBD. It is predominantly home to tech companies as well as start-ups.
The area of NBD includes 22@. 22@ is the corporative name given to an urban renewal area in Barcelona's formerly industrial area of Poblenou. Its aim is to convert Poblenou into the city's technological and innovation district, as well as to increase leisure and residential spaces. Centred on Plaça les Glories Catalanes, it is part of one of Europe’s biggest urban regeneration schemes. It is a compact and diverse city that, instead of applying a territorial specialization model, employs a mixed model that favours social cohesion and fosters balanced and sustainable urban and economic development.
22@ it is the submarket with the largest projection in the city. Most of tech companies have an office in the 22@ area, because that’s where talent want to work and live. The shortage of supply and the increase of the interest of the demand, drives the growth of the new business areas. While in 2005 it only had 25% of the total stock (NBD and Periphery), currently (2019) it has 43% of the stock. NBA (and specially 22@) is the area that has the most attractive power in the leasing market, hence the decline in its available surface continues.
From one hand, this dynamic area of the city has plenty of great spots for lunch or after work drinks, as well as some landmark buildings such as, the Torre Glories, the Glories shopping centre and it is really close to the beach. From the other hand, it offers a variety of transports such as metro, tramway, bus, bycing, electrical scooter… that get you to any point of the city, or to the airport with direct connections to all the capitals of the world.
The City Centre attracts very diverse businesses, such as; financial and consulting businesses, start-ups, tech companies, multinationals, little companies… Currently, the average price of the city centre is 15,20€. That is why any type of company could choose to have its office in the centre of the city, and to enjoy all the services that this zone includes.
The variety and heritage of Barcelona leads to numerous tours of its different neighbourhoods. Thus, the visitor will know the thousand faces of the city. Its primitive nucleus, the one that was surrounded by walls in Roman times, forms the current Gothic Quarter. Narrow streets, with collected squares and endearing corners, host an abundant sample of Gothic buildings both civil and religious. Medieval palaces emerge around the impressive Cathedral of the City of Barcelona, such as Casa dels Canonges, La Pia Almoina or Casa d´Ardiaca. The Plaça del Rei brings together another marvellous building, such as the Palau Reial Mayor, the Chapel of Santa Ágata or the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat. For its part, the square of Sant Jaume brings together important institutions such as the Palau de la Generalitat and the Town Hall or Casa de la Ciutat. Do not forget the church of La Mercè, patron saint of Barcelona.
The centre of Barcelona city is connected on the one hand with the main exit routes of the city as well as it has direct access to the airport or the port. In the city centre it is easy to find a variety of transports such as metro, tramway, bus, bycing, electrical scooter, taxi… The area also has excellent transport links, plenty of hotels and restaurants.
The periphery of Barcelona is mainly composed by Baix Llobregat (el Prat de Llobregat, l’Hospitalet de Llobregat…) and on the other hand Valles Occidental (Sant Cugat del Vallès).
The sectors that usually attract Baix Llobregat are logistic companies that need to be close to the airport or port. Apart from that, there are large enterprises that want to have the headquarters in a building on the periphery, so that the cost of their offices is lower, this is when they decide to have the office in Sant Cugat or other parts of Baix Llobregat. Not only because of that, but also because they are big companies, so they require a lot of surface, which in Barcelona is not available, and they decide to be close to Barcelona.
From another hand, Plaza Europa is the Business area of the Baix Llobregat area, with high quality new buildings and where renowned companies are located.
Even being in the periphery of Barcelona, the connections with this area are very good. There are many public transports (trains, buses…) and other mobility services available. In case of being away from a bus or metro stop, those big companies normally assume the transport costs as they know most of their workers are coming from the city.
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