Can Canela

Can Canela was originally a textile machinery factory that is part of the industrial heritage of Poblenou. It was purchased by Josep Canela who presented a project for the building designed by G. Guiteras in 1898. Building works started in 1906 on Carrer Ciutat de Granada.

This factory with its exposed brickwork is also known as Can Tiana. It is a classic example of early 20th-century industrial architecture. Initially, it consisted of a single-story unit with a chimney and boiler room. Over the years, numerous sections were added and Can Canela eventually had three storeys and covered practically an entire block.

The industrial complex was completed in 1914, a year after Josep Canela's death. From then on, the buildings were used by small textile companies. Can Canela fell into disuse after the Spanish Civil War until the company Industrias Reunidas de Utensilios Metálicos SA (IRUMSA) moved there in 1942. It subsequently housed a company dedicated to manufacturing trophies and another called Curtidos Suñé, SA.

In 1990, Can Canela was purchased by the Institut Català de Tecnologia and restored by the architect Jordi Segura. It is currently a distance-learning centre run by Barcelona University, IL3 (Institute for Lifelong Learning).

Like many of the former factories in Poblenou, Can Canela has become one of the industrial buildings in the Barcelona 22@ district, which is now used as a centre for entrepreneurship and innovation.