Working in Poblenou and 22@: coworking, work clubs and a better working day

Poblenou has become one of the places in Barcelona where people actively choose to work. Freelancers, remote employees and small teams come for the light, the space and the feeling of a neighbourhood that is still lived in. If you are looking for a coworking space in Poblenou or 22@, or wondering whether a work club would suit you better, this guide covers the district’s story, what to look for, how to shape your day and which desk to choose.

From factories to an innovation district

For much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Poblenou was the industrial engine of Barcelona, often called the Manchester of Catalonia. Textile mills, warehouses and workshops filled its grid of streets, and tall brick chimneys still punctuate the skyline. As industry moved out of the city in the later twentieth century, many of those buildings stood empty.

Around 2000, the city launched the 22@ plan to turn the former industrial area into a district for knowledge-based activity: technology, design, media, research and education. The name comes from the old planning code for industrial land, 22a, with the @ signalling the new direction. You notice the result on any walk: converted factories beside newer office buildings, university campuses, studios and residential streets, with the Rambla del Poblenou and the beaches a short stroll away.

What remote workers, freelancers and small teams look for

Working from home is fine for a while, but most people eventually miss a clear line between work and the rest of life, a decent chair, reliable connectivity and other people around them. When choosing a place to work, the questions tend to be practical:

• Fast, reliable internet and enough sockets where you actually sit
• Good natural light, comfortable chairs and a pleasant temperature all year round
• Quiet zones for focus, and somewhere to take calls without disturbing anyone
• Meeting rooms you can book for client sessions or team days
• Good coffee and proper food nearby, or on site
• Flexible terms that grow or shrink with your workload
• A community you are glad to be part of, without any pressure to network

Coworking or work club?

A classic coworking space is built around the desk: you rent a seat, use the shared kitchen and meeting rooms, and get on with it. A work club takes a broader view of the working day. Alongside desks and offices, it usually includes things that support how you feel while you work, such as a gym, recovery facilities, treatments, a kitchen serving real food and a programme of talks or dinners. The idea is that training before your first call, eating well at lunch and meeting people at an evening event can all happen in one place.

If you simply need a reliable seat, coworking does the job well. If you want your workplace to also be where you train, recover and meet people, a work club may be the better fit.

How to structure a good working day

A good place to work helps, but the shape of the day matters just as much. A simple structure that works for many people:

• Start with a focus block of 90 minutes to two hours, before email and messages take over
• Move between blocks: a short walk, a stretch, or a training session if you have time
• Take a proper lunch away from the screen, ideally with other people
• Group calls and meetings in the early afternoon, when deep concentration is harder anyway
• Use the late afternoon for a second, shorter focus block or for admin
• Close the day with something that marks the end, whether that is a swim, a sauna or a drink on a terrace

Barcelona’s rhythm helps here. Lunch tends to be later and longer than in many northern European cities, and evenings stretch out, especially in summer. Many people simply work with it: focused work in the morning, a real midday break and calls with other time zones later in the afternoon.

Hot desk, dedicated desk or private office

Most workplaces offer three basic options. The right one depends on how often you come in, how much you need to leave behind and how private your work is.

Hot desk

You take any free seat in the shared area. It is the most flexible option and usually the most affordable, and it works well if you come in a few days a week, carry everything in a bag and enjoy a change of scene. The trade-off: nothing stays out overnight, and on busy days your favourite spot may be taken.

Dedicated desk

A desk that is yours, often with storage, a monitor you can leave set up and the same neighbours each day. It suits people who come in most days and want a routine without the cost of a closed room.

Private office

A lockable room for you or your team. It makes sense when you take a lot of calls, handle confidential material or need a team of three or more to sit together. Many small teams start on dedicated desks and move into an office as they grow.

A work club in the making in Poblenou

Poblenou Club is being developed in 22@ with this kind of working day in mind. The plan is to bring shared tables, desks, private offices and meeting rooms together with a gym, sauna and cold plunge, bookable treatments, food and drinks, and a community programme of talks, workshops, screenings and terrace dinners, all under one roof.

The intention is simple: a place where people who have just arrived in Barcelona and people who have lived here all their lives can do focused work, look after themselves and get to know those working around them.