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TMDC Cobalt

13.03.26

Despite all the buzz surrounding virtual reality and Artificial Intelligence there’s still a deep-rooted desire to make real things either by hand or machine, furniture and decorative elements that satisfy our evolving needs. Hands on making rather than just clicking a screen for a delivery. We are currently witnessing a renaissance in not just craft but also small series or one-of manufacturing. Industrial design and other architectural elements that offer a more customised result made locally. And Barcelona is forging the way with the TMDC initiative, Taller para la Materialización y el desarrollo de Conceptos (Workshop for the Materialisationand Development of Concepts).

Designer Pedro Pineda is the founder and the driving force behind this project that started over a decade ago in a shared space measuring just 300 sq. m. located in Poble-nou. Later, in 2018, TMDC moved to a much larger 2,000 sq.m. space on Rambla del Prim thanks to the cooperative's rapid growth, which already had 40 active members. The project has continued to expand and has now surpassed other leading international similar spaces such as Buildinbloqs (London, UK) and Makerspace (Munich, Germany). And now TMDC Cobalt takes an evolutionary step forward with its new premises.

  • TMDC Cobalt Pedro Pineda Cornellà de Llobregat Barcelona
  • TMDC Cobalt Pedro Pineda Cornellà de Llobregat Barcelona

     

    TMDC Cobalt is now the largest and most advanced industrial coworking space in Europe, has secured a new location in Cornellà de Llobregat that will allow it to scale its production model and consolidate its position as a leading advanced industrial infrastructure on the continent. The new space will triple the current surface area of ​​the project (from 5,000 sq. m. to 15,000 sq. m.) and will incorporate state-of-the-art industrial machinery, with capabilities that do not currently exist in any other European industrial coworking space. The TMDC cooperative had been searching for a new premises for more than a year because the previous location is earmarked for redevelopment.

  • TMDC Cobalt Pedro Pineda Cornellà de Llobregat Barcelona

     

    Now, ten years later, TMDC has invested €3.2 million in adapting and equipping the new facilities. The project has received a €1.7 million grant from a PERTE (Special Program for the Reindustrialization of the Economy) for the social economy, reinforcing its alignment with public policies for reindustrialization, innovation, and a productive economy. Currently, the new facility is approximately 60% complete. “All the machinery is already installed, and we are finishing the basic adjustments necessary to begin operations,” explains Pedro Pineda, co-founder and current project manager. “During the year, the machines will be fully connected, the new yards will be opened, and key installations will be completed,” he adds.

  • TMDC Cobalt Pedro Pineda Cornellà de Llobregat Barcelona

     

    TMDC Cobalt is not just an expansion of a manufacturing space: it is an ongoing architectural project, which, interestingly, is taking shape on the site of a former furniture factory. A tour of the building reveals an active transformation, where the architecture acts not as a mere container, but as an infrastructure capable of organizing uses, production rhythms, and working relationships.

  • TMDC Cobalt Pedro Pineda Cornellà de Llobregat Barcelona

     

    The unique aspect of TMDC Cobalt lies in the fact that the people who design, adapt, and build the space are also the ones who use it. By simultaneously serving as a workshop and a production facility, the project opens up a rare possibility in contemporary industrial architecture: building while living and producing. The architecture is not delivered as a finished object, but rather evolves in conjunction with the community that activates it.

  • TMDC Cobalt Pedro Pineda Cornellà de Llobregat Barcelona

     

    The design concept stems from a clear premise: “dignifying manufacturing begins with dignifying the spaces where it takes place,” explains Macarena Conte, the project's architect. The development is based on a logic of progressive and community-driven construction, incorporating regenerative and sustainable architecture principles, and prioritizing adaptation over demolition. More than 20 members of TMDC participated in the project, manufacturing everything from lightweight frame walls to workbenches.

  • Carrer del Cobalt, 57
  • 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat,
  • Barcelona
  • www.tmdc.es