Kategora, a developer specialising in the Living sector, held the groundbreaking ceremony last Tuesday, 16 December, for Kora Sant Adrià, marking the official start of construction of its new hotel complex in the La Catalana neighbourhood of Sant Adrià de Besòs (Barcelona). The event was attended by Mayor Filo Cañete; Eneko Balda, Chief Development Officer of Kategora; and Francesc Buixeda from BXD Arquitectura. The Basque developer will deliver this project under a hotel licence, with the ambition of becoming a catalyst for the municipality’s economic and social life.
With a planned investment of €50 million, Kora Sant Adrià will be developed on a 3,500 m² plot, giving shape to a building with 19,400 m² of built area. It will house more than 200 studios with integrated kitchens, organised into six typologies ranging from 24 to 34 m² and conceived under the philosophy of Kategora’s Flex line: efficient, versatile buildings adapted to new ways of living, working and staying.
The project’s location takes on particular relevance at a key moment for Sant Adrià’s seafront. Opposite the future complex, in the Tres Xemeneies area, Inditex will develop a new hub dedicated to design, pattern-making, e-commerce and technology for several of its brands. The arrival of this cluster will consolidate the area’s potential as an emerging territory for business activity and talent. In this context, Mayor Filo Cañete underlined that the arrival of Kategora and Kora Living—the developer’s hotel brand—in Sant Adrià «fits perfectly with the young, dynamic and participatory spirit of La Catalana, and also with the transformation we are already undertaking as a city through the various landmark projects set to begin in the coming months. As a City Council, we are delighted to support projects that are committed to responsible, open transformation connected to citizens and neighbourhoods.»
In this way, the hotel complex represents a key boost to the revitalisation of La Catalana, reactivating a project that had remained on hold for a long time. «We want Kora Sant Adrià to be a building that connects, generates activity and brings pride to the neighbourhood. La Catalana has memory, identity and enormous potential, and this project is born to accompany an urban transformation that is already under way», said Eneko Balda, Chief Development Officer of Kategora, at the inaugural event.
One of the most innovative elements of Kora Sant Adrià is the design of the ground floor as a 978 m² commercial space intended to become a new hub for La Catalana. The proposal includes premises for local businesses, gastronomic spaces, room rentals, a gym and initiatives linked to local entrepreneurship. The inner courtyard, designed as a contemporary agora, will allow residents and guests to share a common space conceived for everyday use, fostering the complex’s integration into local life. In this regard, Balda stressed that Kora Sant Adrià is expected to be a building that «does not close its doors to the neighbourhood, but rather expands the range of dining and other services; generates opportunities for the city’s business fabric; provides space for local entrepreneurs; and becomes part of La Catalana’s daily life.»
The architectural proposal has been developed by the Barcelona-based studio BXD, which has designed a modular, symmetrical and orderly building that engages in dialogue with local history. The concept is inspired by the idea that Sant Adrià is a territory shaped by mixture: agricultural in origin, industrial for decades, and largely built through the efforts of migrant families who created neighbourhoods with creativity and ingenuity. This constant ability to adapt and reinvent itself is the essence that defines the project. BXD has conceived a building that takes as its starting point the idea of “everything mixed, nothing lost”. Its visual axis draws on the logic of the batiburrillo: an aesthetic made up of urban layers that overlap, collide and coexist as strata of memory. Materials, textures and colours are therefore combined without an apparent order, yet with a clear identity. It is an architecture that does not seek to impose a new identity, but rather to add to existing ones, recognising the value of imperfection, accumulation and diversity.
Following in the footsteps of other Kategora projects, the complex is targeting BREEAM “Very Good” certification and will achieve an A energy rating, incorporating active geothermal and aerothermal systems, as well as solar energy installations to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint. Among the efficiency measures and sustainable materials employed are high-efficiency lighting, water consumption reduction strategies and the use of FSC/PEFC-certified wood.
With the start of construction at Kora Sant Adrià, Kategora strengthens its presence in the Barcelona metropolitan area and consolidates its commitment to a hotel model—managed through Kora Living—characterised by openness to the neighbourhood, the integration of commercial activity and the incorporation of advanced sustainability criteria, fostering coexistence between guests and residents. This project joins the new landscape beginning to take shape in the Besòs area, where innovation, industrial heritage and community life intertwine to create a more dynamic territory connected to its coastline.
