In Barcelona, design is part of the way the city is understood and experienced. It is present in urban spaces, everyday objects, communications and solutions to the challenges of our time.
In the heart of Plaça de les Glòries, Disseny Hub Barcelona (DHub) brings together different areas of the creative industries under one roof, with exhibition, learning and meeting spaces and a programme that connects creativity with the city and its evolution.
A multidisciplinary hub
DHub is the leading public institution for the recognition, promotion and dissemination of design heritage and culture. It is also home to the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (Barcelona Design Museum) and other organisations and projects linked to the sector, which together help create an environment where passion, education and professional practice come together.
The Museum preserves an extensive heritage relating to material culture, with collections covering areas such as product and graphic design, fashion, decorative arts, and textiles and clothing. The permanent exhibitions offer different perspectives on this legacy and show how objects, shapes and materials also tell the story of the society that created them.
This offering is complemented by temporary exhibitions, conferences, workshops, courses, festivals, congresses, talent development programmes, and educational and family activities. The programme brings together disciplines such as architecture, audiovisual media, technology and video games, linking creativity with today’s social and environmental changes.
In this way, DHub has become a meeting point for professionals, students and creators who help drive the city’s creative ecosystem.
Design and responsibility
DHub offers a range of resources for exploring design in greater depth. The Documentation Centre and the Design Library and Archive provide resources for reference and research, while Materfad, Barcelona’s materials centre, offers an opportunity to explore the properties and potential of materials and their relationship with innovation and sustainability.
This commitment is also reflected in the building itself, which holds an A energy efficiency rating and the Environmental Quality Guarantee Label. Seventy per cent of the building is set into the ground, helping to provide thermal and acoustic insulation, while its roof incorporates photovoltaic solar panels.
To improve energy efficiency, the lighting is being gradually replaced with LED technology, and motion sensors and timers have been installed. The building also has a climate control system connected to the DistriClima network and solar-control films on a large proportion of its glazed façades.
DHub is also part of the More Sustainable Barcelona Network and the Barcelona Sustainable Destination programme. In its day-to-day management, it promotes environmental awareness, encourages good habits and supports recycling, waste management and sustainable mobility, including the use of public transport.
Understanding in order to imagine
DHub invites visitors to discover how the decisions that shape objects, spaces and experiences reflect a particular way of understanding society and its surroundings. From heritage to contemporary creative practice, design becomes a tool for interpreting the present and imagining new ways of living, creating and connecting with the city.
Check out the DHub programme at dissenyhub.barcelona.
