The Port of Tarragona awards the contract for the refurbishment of its former headquarters

The Port of Tarragona has awarded the contract for the refurbishment of the former Tarragona Port Authority (TPA) office building to the UTE (Temporary Consortium) formed by the companies COMSA, SAU and Gestión Ingeniería y Construcción de la Costa Dorada (GICSA) at a cost of 4.7 million euros (ex VAT). The work will begin this April and is due to be finished in 18 months. It will consist of the complete refurbishment of the 4,828 built m² building, which will be used for administration and port services.

The refurbishment and new use of this emblematic building has been a constant and important objective of the Tarragona Port Authority. The building has been vacant since June 2010, when the Port Authority offices were transferred to a newer building right next door. The old building required comprehensive refurbishment to adapt it to the new building, energy efficiency, habitability, communications and security regulations.

In 2013, the Port of Tarragona began planning the new uses and rehabilitation of a building that is an integral part of the Tarragona skyline. Today, with the awarding of the contract for the work, this objective begins to become a reality. The detailed design was drawn up during those years and was given approval in 2018 with the corresponding budgetary adjudication for the refurbishment. The project will serve to update and modernise the old building, while safeguarding its architectural essence.

Having studied the different options and possible uses of the building, it was decided to opt for a mixed model of administrative use and port services. Thus, the Port Control services, currently housed on the Catalunya Wharf, will be transferred to the 5th (top) floor of the building, where they will share space with the Maritime Rescue technical and administrative services, the TPA navigational aids department and the Pilots Corporation administrative departments. There will also be an operations rooms for the Harbourmaster and the Port Operations Management, as well as a crisis operations centre.

It is also planned to offer two floors to third-party companies interested in having offices in this location, as well as two floors for use by the Port Authority itself.

Finally, the ground floor will allow the building to be opened up to the citizenry by offering public services, such as a conference room and a Port Interpretation Centre explaining the history and evolution of the port infrastructure.

This project can be added to the others that the Port Authority has been undertaking in recent years to improve the seafront and port façade. Along the same lines, once the refurbishment of the former TPA headquarters has been completed, the next step will be to provide continuity to areas such as the footbridge, the seafront and Kilometre 0. To do this, it is planned to remodel the area around the old building and the current TPA offices with a series urban improvements. By undertaking all these actions, the Port of Tarragona aims to maximise the use of the port waterfront façade and its direct relationship with the people of Tarragona.