Located in the district of La Bordeta, the former textile mill of Can Batlló, built in the 19th century, is an example of neighbourhood organization and reuse of urban space in the 21st century. Since its recovery in 2011 it has become a focus of social and cultural activity, with urban allotments, a workshop, a library, a popular atheneum, a cinema and a printing press. It is a microcosm within the city, with each resident contributing their grain of sand.

The neighbourhood platform “Can Batlló belongs to the district” was set up in 2009 and, thanks to social mobilization, in 2011 it achieved the permanent loan of one of the buildings, known as Block 11. Workshops in infrastructure, carpentry, circus and musical creation have gradually occupied the space, generating a small universe that attracts everyone, crossing the borders of La Bordeta and extending to the adjacent districts of Sants and Badal and beyond.

Little by little, the space has grown and occupied other buildings on the site. There has been an increase in initiatives, including the work of the architects of La Col, a group of young professionals who joined in local district protests and set out to give a new lease of life to the abandoned industrial buildings.

In 2019, the School of Audiovisual Media (EMAV) set up in building number 7 at Can Batlló, becoming the cornerstone of the definitive opening up of the whole site to the city. The intervention in this building with its large spaces is based on the desire to preserve and highlight the typological features of its industrial architecture: order, repetition and structural simplicity. The solution adopted echoes these features. The remodelling of Block 7 of Can Batlló has sought to maintain the building’s historical and architectural values, enhancing the original elements of the façade and maintaining the large interior structure with its cast-iron columns, vaults and timber trusses. The façade of the former textile mill has been restored to its original state, with all the elements damaged or broken by later interventions being repaired. The roof features ornamental work using zinc plates to offer a renewed image of its industrial past.