Located adjacent to Barcelona’s lush Parc de la Ciutadella and near the shores of the Mediterranean, the complex is set on the site of the city’s historic former fish market, Mercat del Peix, for which it is named. The center is located within Barcelona's Ciutadella of Knowledge Hub, a contemporary European node of scientific and cultural innovation, a siting that magnifies the significance of its mission. ZGF and the Barcelona-based MIRAG/Double Twist (the Spanish firm responsible for ongoing work on Antonio Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia), won an international design competition sponsored by the UPF and the IBE, with support provided by the Superior Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), the Barcelona City Council, and the Generalitat de Catalunya; beating out 41 other entries from 10 countries for this two-building commission.

The architecture of the Mercat del Peix Research Center is based on a simple plan yet layered with nuance. The research conducted within UPF is computational, requiring a computer-driven office environment, while IBE’s research into evolutionary plant biology is carried out in wet laboratories with controlled environments. The design of the two separate buildings removes walls and places all collaboration space within a middle connecting bar. This increases building efficiency by removing duplicative programs; and guarantees the comingling of researchers between the two institutes.

The concept is pushed further by connecting the middle bar vertically, with a sweeping mass timber stairway that links every level of the buildings, from the subterranean conference center up to the rooftop park. On the ground plane, the buildings are separated, each with its own identity, and united by the agora—with a transparent glass wall which slides open to connect the monumental stairs with the courtyard. It is unusual for a research institution to embrace the general public, however, the civic setting of the Mercat del Peix Research Center, coupled with its focus on “planetary welfare,” demands public awareness and radical scientific collaborations.

On the ground floor, in lieu of a traditional building lobby, UPF features a gallery space to display its science programs, along with a university cafeteria and public restaurant. While IBE uses its ground floor for an 80-seat flat floor multipurpose classroom and makerspace labs to support local school programs in STEM education. Much like the greenery of the nearby Parc de Ciutadella is open to the general public, public access extends into the site, including the ground floor and through the buildings up the spiral staircase to the roof.

On the second floor, an open, active lounge space with a coffee bar and comfortable furniture is shared by all researchers, as well as the public. Each level features different combinations of meeting and lounge spaces; even an enclosed “speakeasy” bar for more sophisticated gatherings. Atop the 4-story UPF building, the stairs culminate in a park-like setting, with sights and scents of the Mediterranean and a small greenhouse which accommodates butterfly research. The IBE building, with its wet labs, continues up to six stories above grade.

The center features a high-performance mass timber structure and building envelope, a unique material choice for research building due to vibration requirements. The wood is exposed throughout the interiors, including ceilings in the labs, creating a warm environment and eliminating the need for, and cost of, other finishes. The structural and MEP requirements were merged into a single integrated system—a design move informed by another mass timber research facility at Oregon State University concurrently designed by ZGF.

A “Swiss watch” composition of lateral and perpendicular wood girders, joists, and duct work achieves vibration performance objectives, along with flexibility. A layer of composition concrete atop the wood slab provides further vibration control. In addition to cost savings, the mass timber design reduces the project’s 60-year structural embodied carbon footprint by 76% compared to an all-concrete system. On the exterior, a wood screen wraps three sides of the U-shaped center, uniting the building wings and center bar as one and serving as a shading device that draws from Gaudi’s use of architecture to bend light—illuminating spaces that the sun can’t reach.

The signature sunshades were inspired by La Sagrada Familia. Framing expansive views outward, the fin-like design references Barcelona’s heritage of sailing and fishing. The net-positive research center’s high-performance mass timber building envelope and mechanical systems will significantly reduce both embodied and operational carbon. This reduces the amount of ventilation air required, and therefore energy demand, by over 60%. Temperature and ventilation will be controlled by MEP systems that utilize 100% outside air and hydronic heating and cooling.

The building envelope also features operable windows in collaboration and office areas to provide natural ventilation. The exterior sunshades blunt the intensity of the Mediterranean sun while simultaneously harvesting daylight deep into the building. Inside the labs, zoned climate controls and chilled beams reduce energy loads while ensuring that research teams will conduct their work in comfort.