Plans for the facility first mooted in April 2023 California-based real estate group Panattoni Development has received the building permit for a data center in Barcelona Located in the Parc de l’Alba in Cerdanyola del Vallès the 88MW facility is projected to be the largest in Catalonia Plans for the facility first surfaced in April 2023 the facility was only expected to offer 48MW will see 42MW of electrical power set live across 21,292 sqm (229,200 sq ft) The second phase will see the remaining 46MW set live The estimated investment for the first phase will total around €300 million (310.95m) “This achievement and the imminent start to connect the 42MW of electrical power to our site were two of the most eagerly awaited milestones for us and for the potential clients,” said Gustavo Cardozo managing director of Panattoni in Spain and Portugal Panattoni has developed around 625 million sq ft of office Most recently the company announced plans to develop 1GW of data center capacity across North America reportedly due to energy constraints in the area impacting development timelines The Parce de l'Alba in Cerdanyola del Vallès is located just 20km (12.4 miles) from Barcelona. The city is home to the likes of EdgeConneX, Edged, Equinix The Medloop and 2Africa cables also land in the city with the Medusa cable set to land later this year A version of this story also appeared on our Spanish site Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia April 1 starts with another round of train disruptions and cancellations on the Rodalies commuter rail system due to a strike called by three labor unions.  while some trains on R7 have started running again with one train leaving in one direction every hour The strike has also impacted five Renfe high-speed trains resulting in cancellations of trips to Figueres R7 commuters had to take the R4 from Fabra i Puig to Cerdanyola del Vallès Commuters starting their journey at Barcelona’s Plaça Catalunya should use the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC) commuter trains instead The Catalan Rodalies commuter train network experienced a total of 553 major disruptions between the beginning of 2021 and August 2024, a month before construction work began in a tunnel in Roda de Berà, near Tarragona in southern Catalonia. This means that, on average, there was a disruption every two and a half days, or every 60 hours, affecting over 10,000 Rodalies commuters, according to a response from the Catalan territory ministry to a parliamentary question by Junts. The recount includes incidents caused by technical failures, unforeseen events such as accidents, obstructed train tracks, cable theft, shortage of train drivers, or temporary speed restrictions. Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone Photo Credit: Nil Calvarons have teamed up to create a special 3-day OFFBCN celebration and 16th at Diverbosc (in Cerdanyola del Vallès) located 20 minutes from  Catalunya’s capital city tINI and Gene On Earth will be hosting the collaborative event ‘Limousine Dream,’  headlined by the two respected artists alongside  Fumiya Tanaka A back-to-back with Gene on Earth and Dyed Soundorom is also confirmed will see the British Kaluki brand taking over the venue with a non-stop lineup including East End Dubs Dutch labels Slapfunk and VBX joined forces to present the closing party led by The Ghost duo Slow Life’s owners Laurine & Cecilio and a back-to-back from Les Enfants residents Alex and Sampol Diverbosc is a 1,500-person open-air venue located in a forest with a large swimming pool also counting with food trucks and entertainment/rest areas For more info and tickets click here. LaSalle and Urbania have received building permits for a 14,500 sqm purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) development, slated to open in September 2025. LaSalle Investment Management and Urbania, an investment and asset management company with a €1.1bn portfolio under management, have announced their joint venture partnership to develop a portfolio of living assets in Spain. The first two transactions are situated within the 408-hectare Parc de l’Alba masterplan in Cerdanyola del Vallés, adjacent to the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) Bellaterra campus, which hosts over 30,000 students. Delivery of the masterplan is underway, aiming to attract businesses within scientific, commerce, technology and consulting sectors, with the expectation to accommodate 30,000 workers. The first asset, slated for opening in September 2025, is a PBSA project in Barcelona. With construction already underway, the project will feature 610 single en-suite rooms with state-of-the-art amenities including a rooftop swimming pool, gym, cinema room, study areas and auditorium, with a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating. The project will be the only privately owned student accommodation scheme within walking distance to the UAB Bellaterra Campus, the 3rd ranked university in Spain, offering degree specialisms including medicine, law, engineering and business. In addition, the project is in close proximity to other prestigious university campuses such as ESADE and Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, with excellent local transport networks into central Barcelona. Yugo, a leading student housing operator, has been appointed as manager of the scheme. “This venture is an exceptional example of LaSalle’s deep value equity strategy, which continues to focus on student housing, urban accommodation, retail recovery, distribution, and special situations. “Spain is a big market for us, and we are excited to expand our presence here alongside Urbania to provide affordable accommodation to students and young professionals.” LaSalle and Urbania’s second development is a complementary flex-living scheme that will sit on an adjacent land plot and consist of 255 units, with completion projected for Q3 2027. The scheme is designed for academics, researchers, key workers and corporate occupiers from nearby commercial hubs within the Catalonia Innovation Triangle as well as the UAB Bellaterra Campus. The flex-living asset will offer flexible accommodation for short, medium, and long stays and target a BREEAM‘Very Good’ accreditation and an EPC ‘A’ rating.  The Parc de l’Alba masterplan is currently home to multiple companies including the ALBA Synchrotron, one of the largest science facilities in southwestern Europe, as well as the regional headquarters of leading companies like Inditex’s Stradivarius and engineering and technology group, Sener. “Our mission is to create the next generation of student accommodation and flexible living facilities. This exciting project embodies our commitment to environmental sustainability and exceptional living standards. “Every aspect has been meticulously planned to foster an enriching living experience that supports students, academics and other professionals in achieving their fullest potential. “Collaborating with LaSalle on this landmark project is a source of immense pride for us.” As LaSalle’s most recent ISA Briefing on the PBSA sector outlines, PBSA ranks as one of the firm’s top-conviction sectors in the coming years, with more students enrolled than at any point in history and a long-term supply shortage contributing to the attractiveness of the sector. “Europe’s leading universities, like those close to this project, continue to attract a diversity of local and global students, adding to the growing strength of the region’s PBSA sector. “Barcelona in particular represents a great opportunity for investors in the sector, given the resilient and varied sources of demand from multiple, highly ranked universities.” © 2024 PBSA News. All Rights Reserved. have started issuing fines to non-authorized vehicles driving within their low emission zones as of Monday Only non-polluting vehicles can drive in the towns on working days Vehicles without any of the Directoral Generate for Traffic office’s environmental stickers (blue and yellow) can ask for a temporary permit to drive in one of the cities without facing a fine While fines for cars and motorcycles started on Monday and buses will only come into force in 2025 will also start sanctions in the coming weeks delaying after they were expected to start coinciding with El Prat and Gavà Sant Boi de Llobregat and Cerdanyola del Vallès will issue fines from January 1 Sanctions can reach as high as €260 when pollution is particularly high while they can be up to €200 on normal days All low emission zones in the Barcelona metropolitan area can be checked online and each plate's environmental category can be found by using a search engine The low emission zone (LEZ) was implemented in Barcelona on January 1 The Catalan High Court annulled the LEZ regulations in March of 2022. They argued that there were not enough studies on the matter.  The court also ruled that the ordinance surpassed the council's jurisdiction, and there were some deficiencies in the types of vehicles excluded from entering Barcelona.  As such, Barcelona City Council canceled 140,000 fines given to drivers who entered the city's low emission zone with old and polluting cars.  The fines add up to approximately €20.1 million.  v1.1.0. Copyright © 2025. Powered by EBANTIC. All rights reserved. Text description provided by the architects. IAAC completed a 100 m² low carbon emissions building prototype using local soil and natural materials, utilizing the pioneering Crane WASP 3D printer. The 3D-Printed Earth Forest Campus in Collserola Natural Park (Barcelona) features enclosed, covered, and open spaces, serving as a live laboratory for testing new constructive and architectural solutions, and represents a significant step towards a sustainable km0 earth affordable housing model. While the construction industry caters to 39% of the global CO2 emissions, various parts of the world are currently going through a housing shortage. After more than 10 years of research, IAAC and the Postgraduate in 3D Printing Architecture (3DPA) use a traditional material with cutting-edge technology to propose an affordable and sustainable housing solution. Courtesy of 3dPAThis ongoing project has reached a crucial milestone by demonstrating the construction of multi-climatic environments with the 3D printing of intelligent performative walls from local earth a step closer to a carbon-neutral architecture adapted to its users and environment You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Inicio / Notas de prensa / Naturgy marks a turning point in Spain’s energy transition with the first injection of renewable landfill gas into the distribution network This week Naturgy has become the first company to inject renewable landfill gas into Spain’s gas distribution network A landmark that reflects the company’s commitment to the energy transition and positions it at the forefront of innovation in developing this new energy vector which will make a significant contribution towards decarbonising the country’s energy system located at Parc de l’Alba in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona) next to the Elena landfill It demonstrates Naturgy’s capacity to carry out these types of projects thanks to the strength of its distribution network which is ready to distribute renewable gas given the investments made in recent years the existing gas infrastructure in Spain and its contribution to supply security Naturgy’s target is that all the gas circulating in its networks will be from renewable sources by 2050 The company is digitalising all its distribution infrastructure with its sights set on the mass entry of renewable gases and has presented biomethane and hydrogen projects worth €4 billion in the Declarations of Interest to drive collaborative projects as part of the Recovery The Cerdanyola del Vallès plant will produce 12 GWh of biomethane a year the equivalent of the annual consumption of 3,200 households and will avoid the emission of 2,400 tonnes of CO2 per year into the atmosphere a quantity equivalent to planting some 5,000 trees Part of the gas that will be injected into the network will be supplied as fuel for vehicles at Naturgy group stations as it is a totally viable alternative for sustainable mobility The biomethane produce will enable energy to be used in a way that benefits the circular economy in line with the Climate Change Act and the PNIEC (Comprehensive National Energy and Climate Plan) These types of projects are also a clear reflection of Naturgy’s support for local energy production very close to the main areas with the potential to generate biomethane (landfills pig farms and wastewater treatment plants) Naturgy is committed to developing renewable gas on a commercial scale and has the experience acquired from projects started up in recent years such as Methamorphosis in Vilasana (Lleida) which receives European funding or the project at the Bens wastewater treatment plant in A Coruña co-funded by the Xunta (regional government) through the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) to produce biomethane from wastewater for mobility purposes Potential of renewable gas and the circular economy Renewable gases (mainly biomethane and hydrogen) are destined to be an active player as a renewable energy source facilitating the integration of gas and electrical systems supporting efficient waste management and contributing to the circular economy They help to resolve the environmental problem of emissions associated with waste management and also waste from wastewater treatment plants thus creating circular economy models that also benefit waste producers they contribute to economic development in rural areas and regional cohesion in areas facing demographic challenges According to the report ‘Los gases renovables. Un vector energético emergente’ published by the Naturgy Foundation the maximum renewable gas production potential in Spain could be the equivalent of 65% of the current total natural gas demand if it is purposefully developed The authors of this study maintain that if Spain develops all its production potential over 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions forecast for 2030 This is equivalent to the CO2 emitted by its entire fleet of cars in one year or absorbed across all forest areas in Spain in 2017 Company enters third market since launching in 2020 Global Technical Realty (GTR) is to develop a data center in Barcelona backed by KKR’s third global infrastructure fund announced the acquisition of its first data center development site in Spain The site is located on Parc de l’Alba in Cerdanyola del Vallès The company said the 15,000 sqm plot has the capacity to accommodate up to 16MW of IT load “Barcelona is the fifth largest metropolitan area in the EU and has the largest economy by GDP on the Mediterranean Sea,” said Franek Sodzawiczny founder and CEO at Global Technical Realty “The data center market there is set to grow rapidly We plan to provide a data center that will service cloud requirements in a highly secure facility We are excited to become a part of this bustling community.” Sodzawiczny, the founding CEO, previously founded two British data center colocation providers - Sentrum, which was sold to Digital Realty for around $1 billion in 2012, and Zenium, which sold to CyrusOne for $442 million in 2017 GTR recently announced its 40.5MW GB One campus outside London was now fully pre-leased The first phase is due to be completed in Spring 2024 with all three buildings scheduled for final delivery in early 2025 2023: JLL this week announced it acted as the sole agent to DCITE a specialist data center development platform backed by Nilo Partners and Adequa Real Estate on the disposal of a development site part of Parc de l’Alba to Global Technical Realty Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia Company to break ground before the end of the year European industrial real estate developer Panattoni is planning a data center outside Barcelona The company announced this week that it has acquired a 60,000 sqm (645,830 sq ft) plot of land in Cerdanyola del Vallès to the north of Barcelona and aims to develop a 42MW two-building campus Construction on the first building is set to begin before the end of the year Panattoni reportedly aims to invest around €300 million ($328m) in the project The two 8,542 sqm (91,945 sq ft) buildings will each contain three 1,608 sqm (17,300 sq ft) data halls and will include an on-site substation "We are very excited to move forward with this project which will surely be the largest data center to be built in Catalonia on the market With our experience in industrial real estate development and the expertise of our partners and collaborators This project confirms the continuity of Panattoni's development and investment plans in Catalonia and Spain,” said Gustavo Cardozo The land deal was transacted with the Parc de l'Alba Consortium made up of the Catalan Land Institute (INCASÒL) and the Cerdanyola del Vallès City Council The engineering and design of this data center will be carried out by Quark; an operator and lessee will be selected in a process led by Colliers in collaboration with Telam Partners director of the Colliers data center division said: “The project designed by Panattoni in Cerdanyola confirms the position of the Barcelona metropolitan area as a privileged location for data centers in the Mediterranean The project's location is strategically significant and will contribute to expanding digital infrastructure throughout Southern Europe and North Africa Barcelona is prepared to be a key player in the data center market.” Panattoni has developed around 578 million square feet of office Logistics & warehouse industrial real estate firms are increasingly looking to move into the data center space and others are also looking to develop facilities in the US Some are developing in partnership with existing operators - ESR is working with Stack while Prologis has partnered with Skybox in the US - and some like GLP are seeking to become operators themselves A version of this story appeared on our Spanish edition Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia Spanish rail operator Renfe on Tuesday detailed its transportation plan for the coming days after the network suffered a "structural" failure due to copper theft on Sunday. The R1 line of the Rodalies commuter train service resumed normal service to Hospitalet on Tuesday. The R4 North will resume its connection with Barcelona and there will be two trains per hour in each direction between Hospitalet and Manresa. The R4 South will have four trains per hour in each direction between Hospitalet and Sant Civenç de Calders. On the R3, the most affected line, trains will only operate between Puigcerdà and Ripollet, and Renfe will "try to reinforce" alternative bus services. The R7 remains without service and travelers can take the R4 to Cerdanyola and then take a bus to the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). The R12 regional line only operates between Lleida and Calaf, and there are alternative buses between Calaf and Manresa, where users can take the R4. The R8, R2 and the regional trains of the south operate as usual. The R13 and R14 lines from Lleida and Borges Blanques were disrupted on Tuesday morning due to a new copper theft, as confirmed by Renfe and Adif. Although the theft occurred in the early hours of the night, the service was operating normally by 8.30 am. The disruption of the R3 line, which connects L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Puigcerdà via Vic, has left thousands of people without their daily commute. "We are angry and outraged," says Bernat Camps, a member of the local public transport activist group 'Perquè no ens fotin el tren'. "The service in all the Rodalies network is now practically normalized, except in the R3. We feel that we are always the last and the most disadvantaged". The R3 line is the most affected by the copper theft and trains only operate between Puigcerdà and Montcada Ripollet with two trains per hour and direction. Many users who normally use the R4 line, which connects Vilafranca del Penedès and Manresa through Barcelona and its metropolitan area, have been forced to find alternative routes.  The line is currently operational, but there are only two trains per hour in each direction in the southern section of the line, and four trains in the northern section.  "Two trains an hour is totally insufficient," user Rafael Ibero told the Catalan News Agency (ACN).  Ibero, who lives in Barberà del Vallès, drove his own car to Bellaterra, where he took the Ferrocarrils (FGC) commuter train to Barcelona's Plaça Catalunya.  "Until there are clearer conditions from Renfe, I will continue to use this," he said.  The Vallès line of the FGC, which is owned and operated by the Catalan government, saw a 5% increase in passengers on Monday.  The section of the railway where the copper theft happened on Sunday had no security cameras, according to the director of the Mossos d'Esquadra, Pere Ferrer.  Ferrer has criticized the railway operator Adif for not securing the area better, as it is an "extremely important part of the Catalan railway infrastructure". Since the incident, the Mossos and Adif have been blaming each other over who is responsible for the security of the tracks.  Antonio Carmona, the director of Renfe, said on Monday that the security of the rail network was the responsibility of the Mossos. "I feel powerless: I ask the Mossos to put an end to the scourge of copper theft," he said on RAC1 radio.  The director of the Catalan police Pere Ferrer claimed that Adif was primarily responsible because it was the company that owned the copper. "If the infrastructure is not protected, it provides easier opportunities for thieves," he said.  Spanish transport minister Óscar Puente quickly came to Adif's defense:  "Mossos reached a conclusion without even entering the tunnels where the fires occurred: "We rule out sabotage," they said. I applaud their knowledge, but we cannot rule it out," he said.  Catalonia is the region in Spain with the highest number of copper thefts on railway lines. In the first quarter of the year, 46 incidents were recorded, 32 of them in Barcelona alone. Most of the copper thefts occur on the Rodalies lines. Last year, 240 copper thefts occurred on the Rodalies lines, while 16 occurred on FGC lines.  Although the total number of kilometers of Rodalies lines is much greater than that of FGC, the Spanish state-owned lines have 184 incidents per 1,000 kilometers, while the Catalan lines have 29 incidents per 1,000 kilometers. Launches region from two facilities in Barcelona T-Systems has established a new private cloud region in Spain The Deutsche Telekom company this week announced the launch of the region from two Tier III-certified data centers in the Sant Boi and Cerdanyola del Vallès areas of Barcelona “This region positions us as a key player within the group for the development of Cloud services and consolidates our position as one of the leading providers in Spain,” said Osmar Polo T-Mobile’s existing private cloud data center footprint spans facilities in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands T-Systems CEO and Deutsche Telekom board member Ferri Abolhassan said: “This new cloud region is a sign of T-Systems' strong commitment to developing a robust and high-quality technology infrastructure that will support digitalization and the European data economy for years to come.” Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia The Rodalies commuter train service in the Barcelona area was severely disrupted on Sunday morning due to the theft of copper cable in Montcada i Reixac the Spanish government-owned public company in charge of the service recommends passengers to use an alternative means of transport – while works are underway to fix the issue there is no forecast on when it will be resolved No commuter train lines were able to reach Barcelona on Sunday morning while regional trains are also affected and high-speed trains work as usual the one connecting the capital with the Maresme county coastal towns in the north where users can take the metro to arrive in Barcelona the airport and Vilanova I la Geltrú among others R4 line is not completing its full route between Vilafranca del Penedès and Manresa through Barcelona – on the one hand it starts at L'Hospitalet de Llobregat to the east in the Penedès counties and on the other hand it operates between Cerdanyola del Vallès and Manresa R3 is not connecting Barcelona with Vic and Puigcerdà because it starts and finishes at Montcada Ripollet and travels north from there R7 and R8 have alternative service by road transport Thus trains cannot run through Barcelona tunnels and between Maçanet No trains can run between Montcada Bifurcació and Montcada either the public company in charge of the network and infrastructure said on Sunday morning that "the damage caused is severe and widespread." The excess voltage at the Rodalies network due to the theft of copper cable generated minor fires in the Barcelona train tunnels and the firefighters were working around midday in Sagrera station according to the civil protection authorities The major incident coincides with the Catalan election day, and the Catalan vice president, Laura Vilagrà, said that the disruptions affect the right to vote and the turnout. The situation is "unacceptable," she said, calling on the Spanish transports minister, Óscar Puente, to take prompt action. Upon voting, the Catalan president, Pere Aragonès, also said that the damage to the commuter train network could affect the right to vote, and added that the issues come after years of "lack of public spending" in the service by the Spanish government. First phase expected to be completed in 2025 AQ Compute has broken ground on its 60MW data center campus in Barcelona the company shared that construction works had begun on the company's second data center Located in the Parc de l’Alba (Cerdanyola del Vallès) in Barcelona the campus will eventually have an IT capacity of 60MW The first phase will see the construction of a 15MW data center The design is modular and the buildings will be precast concrete on a larger than conventional scale Each independent building will have two floors with capacity for 400 racks and 15MW will have cooling capabilities for high-density workloads including AI and feature a direct fiber link to the Barcelona submarine cable landing station Plans for the Barcelona campus were first shared in September 2022 and the initial investment in the project has since doubled to €600m ($641.75m) said: “With the start of construction of our data center in Barcelona we are continuing our company’s growth strategy We see an increasing demand for power-intensive IT applications and corresponding server capacities which highly require energy and cost-efficient solutions while simultaneously focusing on sustainability This is exactly where our data centers come into play.” CBRE is acting as project manager for the facility a 70/30 joint venture between PGI Data Centers and PQC the company has plans for other data centers in the Iberian Peninsula AQ Compute was founded in 2020 when Hamburg-based investment company Aquila Capital decided to spin out a data center arm Earlier this month, AQ Compute announced plans to expand its AQ-OSL1 campus in Hønefoss A version of this story was published on our Spanish edition Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia Aquila Capital subsidiary partners with CBRE AQ Compute has announced plans for a new data center in Barcelona Announced this week in partnership with CBRE the company’s second facility will offer a capacity of 50MW and is planned to be ready for operation by mid/end 2024 the facility will be built in the Parc de l'Alba business park in Cerdanyola del Vallès on land previously owned by Cerámicas Catalonia The company will reportedly be investing around $300 million in the project said: “We are delighted to enter this extraordinary agreement that will reshape the landscape of data center services in Europe with a focus on sustainability The need for computing capacities is rising and we will be able to cater for the high demand from clients in Europe and across the globe.” CBRE and AQ Compute are in the position to create a leading pan-European data center operator Our joint expertise and capabilities are unique in the market and we are very much looking forward to leveraging the ideal locations for our first data centers.” Aquila Capital-owned AQ Compute was launched in 2020 and aims to run data centers using clean energy stemming from hydropower and wind energy plants managed by Aquila Capital built in partnership with Cloud&Heat outside Oslo in Norway initially offered 5MW of capacity and could ultimately cover ​​20,000 sq m (215,000 sq ft) The company said this week that further jointly-operated sites across Europe with capacities ranging between 10-50MW are scheduled CBRE will lead in the selection of sites and will also act as the operator of selected sites and as a real estate and financial advisory services provider said: “Our unique approach to sustainability and innovation that we at AQ Compute will bring to our clients in the quest for data decarbonization will set new standards in this European project CBRE as a core partner is fully aligned with these goals and a key part of our strategy.” Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia TITLE: "Integrating eDNA analysis into innovative biomonitoring approaches for nature and agriculture " TIME & FORMAT: form 12 to 1pm CET - In-person and online Seminars will combine in-person and online formats (CREAF talks will be always streamed (not recorded) HOW TO CONNECT: direct link to the conference Current environmental changes and anthropogenic pressures urge for rapid and efficient measures to conserve and bolster our natural diversity and ecosystem functions To assess whether such measures indeed have a positive effect on biodiversity innovative approaches are invaluable to reach high-throughput and high-resolution biomonitoring programmes we discuss the potential of eDNA-based analysis for monitoring organisms in various environments (soil as well as its place in a wider suite of innovative monitoring tools like image and sound recognition and remote sensing We show a selection of recent and ongoing projects from our Wageningen Environmental Research Laboratory of Ecological Genetics in which such ‘integrated biomonitoring’ is applied in both natural systems and nature-positive agriculture.    After studying Biology at Utrecht University (NL) with a focus on plant ecology and biogeology Arjen de Groot continued at this institute in 2007 as a PhD-student He studied the roles of dispersal and establishment in the development of species and genetic diversity in new nature areas To be able to identify the diversity in the soil diaspore bank and to assess genetic diversity in plant populations he had to learn and develop various molecular techniques he joined Wageningen Environmental Research to be able to use similar techniques for more applied nature conservation By using molecular tools to study ecosystem diversity and functioning he aims to contribute to a better knowledge basis for trajectories towards a more sustainable Marcel Pollling started his professional career as a palynologist – a specialist in pollen – in 2012 in Wales (UK) after his study of geology in Utrecht He spent long days identifying pollen grains under a microscope until he figured there must be a better way for this he therefore started a PhD at Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL) on innovative methods of identifying pollen where he focused on automatic image recognition and DNA metabarcoding he was convinced that DNA techniques offer the highest opportunity for innovative ecological studies and he started his position as a molecular ecologist at Wageningen Environmental Research he works on projects combining such innovative techniques to improve the quality of biomonitoring for a wide range of organisms from soil Campus de Bellaterra (UAB) Edifici C 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès View map Tel: +34 93 5811312 Fax: +34 93 5814151 contacte@creaf.uab.cat Web developed thanks to the help: CEX2023-001340-S Web development by Omitsis Consulting The Spanish government will transfer €1.05 billion to the Catalan government to improve and transfer the control of the Rodalies commuter train network from Spain to Catalonia.  The decision was announced at a press conference after the meeting of the Fiscal and Economic Affairs Mixed Commission between Spain and Catalonia that took place on Monday.  said that the money transfer will "allow us to start from scratch" and clear the debt accumulated since 2016.   €191,5 million will go to the 2024-2026 Action Plan which will tackle the increase of trains in the R1 and R4 lines With the agreement between the two governments this increase of trains will be an ordinary service taken on by the Spanish government.   will also be paid by the Spanish government As well as the train between Lleida and Cervera (€7.4 million) and Lleida and Manresa (€6 million).  they will also cover the cost of the alternative transport used when there are renovations or incidents in the service.   Capella has also stated that right now the Rodalies commuter trains network "does not cover the citizens' needs nor does it guarantee people's basic right of mobility."  She insisted that if the trains were "on time and accessible" she hopes that the transfer of control will help to offer a good service as well as to make mobility more accessible.   A new company will replace Renfe, the Spanish public rail company, by a new mixed company managed between the two governments. Capella also informed that the meetings about the new company are "progressing at a good rhythm".   In parallel to the announcement of the transfer of Rodalies, during Monday's meeting both governments agreed to transfer €150 million to the Catalan government for a research fund.   Natàlia Mas Guix, the Catalan sitting economy minister, said that this agreement is a "step forward in many Catalan research projects."  In addition, €2 million will be transferred to Catalonia yearly for the university scholarships and Spain will pay the amount of the past three academic years that has been delayed. A quick look at the map of the winners of the last local elections tells some interesting stories Looking toward the Barcelona metropolitan area one can see a concentration of towns in red where the Socialist Party came out on top more than any other part of the territory.  The red belt encircling Barcelona is a stronghold for the Socialists and has been for decades the left-leaning party has governed consistently ever since the return to democracy in 1979 as is the case in Sant Boi de Llobregat and in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat the second-most populous city in Catalonia immediately south of Barcelona.   the biggest question this election will be whether the Socialists can win another absolute majority The task for the challengers is to grow enough just to have some say in the council for the next four years.  says she feels "stronger than ever" ahead of the 2023 elections after her last mandate was marked by a corruption investigation she was later cleared of although two of her former councilors are still facing trial.  Jaume Graells of pro-independence Esquerra Republicana (ERC) will be her biggest challenger after he left the Socialists during the last term, and it is he who filed the initial complaint that led to the investigation.  Then there are towns where the Socialists govern with minority governments, as is the case in Sant Adrià de Besós and Cerdanyola del Vallès. In these places, the PSC will target growth, repeating absolute majorities as they have done in many other municipalities, whereas challengers will look to wrestle back some more control. But why is it that the Socialist Party is so strong in the areas surrounding Barcelona? History, demographics, and industry can go a long way to explaining this.   During the 1950s and 60s, many people moved northwards from other parts of Spain in search of jobs in industrialized areas on the outskirts of large cities, including Barcelona. In Catalonia, many people moved from the southern region of Andalucía, also traditionally a working-class Socialist stronghold, and passed their voting patterns down the generations. The Barcelona metropolitan area's red belt also has some purple patches across it too. The political space led by Ada Colau's En Comú movement, left of the Socialists, encapsulates the former Communist party, which was very strong in municipal elections in Catalonia particularly shortly after the return to democracy, before later evolving into the Green party.  In more recent years, this political space has developed into the anti-austerity En Comú movement in Catalonia, and Podemos movement across Spain, born out of the difficult post-2008 crisis years.  This part of the left-wing space in Catalonia saw a huge surge in the 2015 elections, including Ada Colau becoming the mayor of Barcelona, but 2019 saw a drop-off in support. Yet, for the past four years they have still controlled the councils of Montcada i Reixac, Ripollet, El Prat, and of course Barcelona itself after reaching a deal with other parties as Colau finished just behind ERC's Ernest Maragall in the voting.  In many Socialist-governed towns, Esquerra Republicana are the second-strongest party, as is the case in towns such as L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sabadell, Sant Adrià de Besós, Esplugues de Llobregat, Granollers, and more.  Santa Coloma de Gramenet will be an interesting battlefield this year, as Esquerra have put Gabriel Rufián up as their candidate for mayor. Having spent years confronting the Spanish government as an MP in the Congress in Madrid, Rufián has become a very well-known figure in his hometown.  Liberals Ciudadanos were another strong force in a lot of metropolitan municipalities in the last election, but polls predict that their biggest goal will be just to survive.  It's expected that they will lose voters, with the conservative People's Party, far-right Vox, or even the Socialists likely to benefit from their fall. Railway operator Adif has backtracked after announcing on Wednesday that service on the Rodalies commuter network would return to normal on Sunday.  saying that "trains will resume to Montcada Bifurcació on Sunday" These tests will be used to check the operation of the trains and once the good condition and functioning of the facilities are determined "the operator will announce the date for the reopening" of the most affected lines The announcement comes a month after a copper theft on May 12 caused widespread disruptions on all lines of the network.   which took place at the Montcada Bifurcació station in Barcelona caused an overvoltage in the electrification system leading to several fires that caused a widespread collapse of the system.   The repair work was initially estimated to take two months and cost €15 million.  The copper theft coincided with the Catalan elections on May 12, causing such widespread disruption that politicians asked the electoral board to extend voting hours.  The disruption led to days of mutual accusations between the Spanish government, the state-owned rail operator Adif, and the Catalan police, the Mossos d'Esquadra, over the protection of the tracks.  Óscar Puente even suggested that "sabotage" could not be ruled out.  The Catalan Traffic Agency (SCT) calls on drivers to "not let their guards down" during the Easter week holidays as traffic jams are expected, with an estimated 380,000 cars leaving Barcelona on Thursday and Friday alone. Friday and Monday are public bank holidays in Catalonia and more people that usual are expected to be traveling those days.  Authorities predict that 600,000 vehicles will return to the Catalan capital between Sunday and Monday, with most traffic expected on the AP-7 highway as well as the A-2, C-16, C.17, C-32, C-65, C-31, and N-340 roads. In some cases, Mossos d'Esquadra police will implement special measures, including reducing speed limits or adding extra lanes. Overall, police will carry out 1,300 controls during the four days, which include alcohol and drug tests, but law enforcement agents will also check speeds, wearing seat belts, motorcycles, and trucks. One of the major issues is the increase in alcoholism seen at the wheel, heavily endangering the safety of other drivers. This is worsened by driving at high speeds and being distracted, which is one of the major reasons why accidents occur. "We have to always pay attention to the road, during the departure, and at the return, and even once we have reached our destination," agent Vicenç Gasulla, deputy head of Mossos d'Esquadra general police station, said to journalists on Wednesday. "We want everyone to get home safely," Lourdes Puigbarraca, deputy general manager of traffic at SCT, said to media outlets. "There will be a lot of drivers on Catalan roads over the Easter holidays. This is the first special traffic deployment of the year, and we are expecting a lot of traffic," she added. Some of the recommendations to avoid traffic jams include planning the journey in advance, considering different alternative routes, avoiding peak hours, and checking the traffic before departing. The main road where trouble could happen is on AP-7 highway after the number of vehicles increased after tolls were lifted in September 2021. The traffic agency and Mossos will prepare a special deployment to guarantee the security of all drivers and avoid jams across 200 kilometers. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. First published: October 28, 2022 07:16 PM It is, as Catalans call it, 'operació sortida' (operation exit) once again. On the AP-7, the highway that runs along the Mediterranean coast all the way to France, there were up to 50 km of traffic jams at various points on Friday evening ahead of what for many will be a long weekend with All Saints' Day on Tuesday. Catalonia's Traffic Service reported congestion between Mollet del Vallès and Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Barberà del Vallès and Cerdanyola, Sant Cugat and Cerdanyola, Castellví de Rosanes and Castellbisbal, in Tarragona and between Amposta and l'Aldea. There are up to 9 km of bumper-to-bumper traffic in the most affected areas, which includes mainly southbound vehicles. Some 475,000 vehicles are expected to leave the Barcelona area from Friday at 3 pm to Saturday at the same time. Catalonia has presented an ambitious project to build a factory for the design and prototyping of advanced microchips in Cerdanyola del Vallès announced this initiative during his participation in the annual meeting of the Cercle d’Economia highlighting the leading role that Catalonia can play in the European chip program submitted to the central government to receive financing from Next Generation funds would involve a public investment of more than 300 million euros this initiative would allow Catalonia to design and prototype chips thus contributing to the reindustrialization process led by Barcelona Global and the Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2) counts with the participation of the Alba Synchrotron the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB) the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) and the UAB The advanced chip factory is expected to create around 200 jobs but its realization will depend on a central government decision on the allocation of Next Generation funds The project is based on a public-private partnership and will be financed mainly with public funds Unlike other similar initiatives backed by large multinationals this proposal focuses on Catalan scientific research centers The idea is to build a clean room specialized in the prototyping and manufacturing of advanced chips for subsequent commercialization During his speech at the Cercle d’Economia Pere Aragonès stressed the importance of having confidence in the Catalan economy and strengthening the productive fabric of Catalonia The president of the Generalitat denied that Catalonia is experiencing economic stagnation and criticized the defeatist discourse about an alleged economic decline of the region Aragonès highlighted the importance of industry and the productive economy warning against the danger of returning to economic models based on low-cost tourism and real estate which are not aligned with the Catalan economic model He also mentioned the progress in the reindustrialization of the Nissan factory in Zona Franca and the attraction of industrial investments in other Catalan municipalities The President of the Generalitat highlighted the progress made in the promotion of renewable energies in Catalonia He also encouraged the public to prepare for the changes in the landscape that will occur due to the proliferation of photovoltaic and wind installations Aragonès stated that this change is necessary to achieve maximum energy autonomy for the region and must be assumed as part of the transition to a sustainable energy model The Cerdanyola chip factory project represents a significant opportunity for Catalonia in the field of technology and innovation Stock images by Depositphotos La venta de la nuda propiedad Copyright © 2022 Salirporbarcelona , All rights Reserved. Created by JEZZ Media Edward Balcells and Daniel Tigges worked together on this new building housing the kindergarten and the communal spaces of El Til-ler in the Catalonian municipality of Sardañola del Vallés the timber-clad volume is the result of recycling five buildings belonging to the school These were dismantled and transported to the spot for reconstruction with a configuration adapted to the topography and other conditions of the new location The open plan concentrates a number of thick pillars along the perimeter The spaces in between are designed differently addressing pedagogical and programmatic needs (with benches and present themselves to the exterior as frames reached by means of footbridges that solve the problem of grade differences Cliente ClientFundació per a l’Art d’Educar de Rudolf Steiner   Arquitectos ArchitectsEduard Balcells Arquitectura + Urbanismo + Paisaje Daniel Tigges (equipo de diseño project team) Elisabeth Terrisse (arquitectos architects) Consultores ConsultantsBernuz-Fernández (ingeniería estructural structural engineering); Factors de Paisatge - Manuel Colominas (paisajismo landscape); Progetic (ingeniería de instalaciones mechanical engineering); Egaractiva (arquitecto técnico quantity surveyor) Superficie construida Floor area1.975m² (conjunto edificios reciclados y nuevo recycled and new buildings) 878m² (edificio nuevo educación infantil y espacios comunes new kindergarten and common spaces)   Presupuesto Budget1.690.283 € PEC+IVA (conjunto escuela 721.723 € PEC+IVA (edificio nuevo educación infantil y espacios comunes new kindergarten and common spaces) there arent any match using your search terms Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker We explain the alternative mobility plan activated to alleviate the chaos in Rodalies caused by a new copper theft working Monday dawned in similar conditions Barcelona City Council and Mossos met yesterday afternoon to assess the situation and present an alternative mobility plan that allows so you have to take alternative means of transport to get into the city TMB has put more subways in circulation than ever before to help move all the new users such as the R3 and R4 could take up to two months to return to normal Renfe has launched 22 buses covering the stretch between Montcada station and Sagrera which the Generalitat de Catalunya considers insufficient trains are already arriving at the Fabra i Puig stop when this morning they did not go past Cerdanyola del Vallés has advanced that the incidents generated by the two small fires that also affected the service this Sunday at the stations of Arco de Triunfo and Clot could be resolved in a shorter period of time so the situation will be fixed somewhat faster in the southern section of the city which have not been able to make the usual route trains on line R1 do not pass Badalona station and those on R4 at L’Hospitalet de Llobregat the Catalan Traffic Service (SCT) warns of the possible delays on the main roads of the Catalan capital Until 07:20 hours of this Monday have been recorded delays of more than 10 kilometers on the A-2 between Sant Joan Despí and Pallejà at the junction with the C-245 There are also three kilometers of slow travel on the AP-7 between Sant Cugat del Vallès and El Papiol there are also long queues on the B-20 and on the B-20 between Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Barcelona There are delays of more than six kilometers on the B-23 between Sant Feliu de Llobregat and El Papiol and on the B-24 between Pallejà and Cervelló the Generalitat and the City Council have launched an alternative mobility plan that allows users to move around the city strongly supported by the bus and metro service the mobility alternatives in Barcelona are as follows: ► R1/RG1: Circulation from Maçanet-Massanes to Badalona from where passengers are diverted to the metro ► R3: Circulation between Puigcerdà and Montcada-Ripollet From Montcada-Ripollet an alternative road service is provided to Sagrera-Meridiana station ► R4 North: The trains were scheduled to run until Fabra i Puig and link with the metro the trains end the route in Cerdanyola del Vallès where you have to take the alternative buses to the Ferrocarrils Three trains per direction and time between Manresa and Cerdanyola have been announced while the rest of the day it operates at 50% Terrassa and Sabadell are redirected to FGC ► R4 South: It has been announced that they would run from Sant Vicenç de Calders to L’Hospitalet de Llobregat with four trains per direction with the usual frequency but some trains may arrive at Sants station ► R7: It continues without service and passengers can go to Cerdanyola with the R4 and from there there there are buses to the UAB ► R12: Circulation between Cerdanyola and Lleida organiza un webinar titulado "Diversidad y funcionalidad de la biota del suelo".  El webinar se estructurará en tres bloques diferentes donde se abordará la temática desde distintas escalas: Bloque 1) Caracterización del sistema suelo: Agustín Rubio Sánchez (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) Bloque 2) Microbiota edáfica: Ana Rincón Herranz (ICA-CSIC) Bloque 3) Fauna edáfica: María Jesús Briones (Universidad de Vigo) El webinar se llevará a cabo el próximo 24 de marzo de 10 a 12:30h en la Sala de Graus I de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona y también se podrá seguir en línia a través de Teams.  Actividad financiada por el proyecto SoilNet (convocatoria Redes de Investigación 2022 ref del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación)  Campus de Bellaterra (UAB) Edifici C 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès Ver mapa Web elaborada gracias a la ayuda: CEX2023-001340-S Web desarrollada por Omitsis Consulting