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As 22@ currently grows as a hot technological and innovation center in the Poblenou area, remnants of the former industrial hub still stand.
And Museu Can Framis preserves that memory. What was once was a textile factory is now a renovated museum of contemporary Catalan art.
The museum opened its doors in 2009. Before that, it was two separate, unused factory buildings. A middle wing was designed and built to match the industrial feel of the other two buildings, which forms an open, minimalist courtyard. 
The facade in the courtyard tells the story of the space. It’s exactly what it looks like — an old building covered up and painted over. But done so beautifully.
- Lime mortar mixes with the old, exposed brick and concrete and plastered white.
The art pieces take the center stage of Can Framis. That’s the reason why you won’t find any gift shop here.
The deeply angled windows of the new building allow natural light to enter the space dramatically.
The museum is easy to navigate because it has one continuous path. You start in one space and work your way up and down stairs and through softly-lit corridors and halls.
Gray, exposed concrete of the staircase in all kinds of crisp angles.
Wouldn’t you lose it if you got locked up in here? A perfect place for solitary confinement…
Can Framis is 1.5 meters below street level. It’s surrounded by a garden of trees, benches, and some lined pathways to block the view of the outside streets and cars.
It’s supposed to be an “oasis” in 22@, where you can get some head-clearing space.
Compare Can Framis to the in-your-face Gaudí in all its loud colors, and it’s not the tourist attraction that people want when they come to Barcelona.
Just architecture and art. And it’s exactly what it wants to be.
More information
Buses: 6, 7, 40, 42, 56, 141, 192, B25
Tram: Besòs, Glòries
