Elisava expands its facilities with the acquisition of the former Doctors Without Borders building

Elisava will see an increase in its facilities in the 2026–27 academic year with the acquisition of the former building of Doctors without Borders, which will become an extension of the Faculty of Design and Engineering of Barcelona. The new building has around 3,000 square metres that will be an addition to the 11,000 square metres of the current headquarters in La Rambla, which aims to expand its facilities due to the increase in the centre’s activity.

After the purchase of the building, it will be renovated and adapted so that the new site can be up and running in September 2026, in time for the start of the 2026-27 academic year. The new space will have a ground floor and four floors, which Elisava will allocate to students and the activities of its continuing education, research, and transfer programmes, to be used by around 400 students. In addition to classrooms for continuous training, the new building at Nou de la Rambla will also have spaces for knowledge transfer and will work as a meeting point with companies.

‘We had to take a step forward, and our bet has been to expand the campus in the district’, explains Javier Peña, General Manager of Elisava, in declarations to La Vanguardia. In this way, Elisava reinforces its commitment to the Ciutat Vella district. ‘For us, it is important to stay here and maintain our links with the district,’ adds Peña. ‘As an educational centre and a generator of activity, we bring a transforming value. This district is more than just about tourism’.

Elisava already has two more rented spaces in the district: one on Carrer Escudellers and the other on Carrer La Pau. The first, covering about 200 square metres, is the headquarters of the Barcelona Food Design Lab, a space for the development of projects and innovation; the second has become an incubator for new projects.