Sant Boi de Llobregat has more than 83.000 inhabitants, being the 13th largest populated city in Catalonia. It is an eminently healthy, sustainable, natural, participatory and strategically well-located city within the metropolitan area of Barcelona:Â 15 km away from Barcelona, 9 km from the port and 5 km from the airport.
The natural, forest and river heritage of Sant Boi is one of the main differentiating elements, which make it a metropolitan green lung with much lower pollution levels than its surroundings. With an area of 22 km2, 60% of its territory is protected: 40% is destined to agriculture, whereas the rest 20% is occupied by forests and river zones.
The current proposal aims at transforming an existing building into an innovative education public facility. It will have new room arrangements and services that facilitate the digital transition, leaving no one behind, and it is intended to become a green, neutral-emissions building with a spirit of full circularity.
With the current proposal, Sant Boi de Llobregat aims at fighting against digital divide while contributing to green transition in a space renovated in a spirit of circularity and carbon neutrality that reinforces the community’s sense of belonging to a building caring for all.Â
Architecture, digitalisation and the harmony with nature of the space helps catalyse the functions of learning while fostering the sense of ownership by users. The goal is to provide an inclusive digital learning offer based on experimentation that supports efficient acquisition of digital skills for all citizens and local SMEs, in a space that facilitates social interaction and provides sensory experiences thanks to its aesthetics and sustainable essence.
It contributes to the approved action plan of the Local Urban Agenda, which is linked to the European, Spanish, Catalan and 2030 agendas. The transformation of the building is part of the strategic action of 15-minutes city, and it's a specific intervention under the educational city strategic action: “Renewal, transformation of educational facility of reference directly linked to 15-minutes city strategy, which is available for citizens, educational centres, entities and companies to promote training in strategic areas such as digital transition, sustainability, respect for the environment, inclusion and gender equality”.
At a local level, it is also aligned with the 2030 City Strategy, Government Plan 2019-2023, SEAP and the Social innovation core strategy of the International Promotion Plan 2021-2027.
At European level, it contributes to the Green deal, Cohesion Policy and the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027. It is specially in line with the Initiative Ethical guidelines on the use of AI and data in teaching and learning for Educators.