La Mina is a neighbourhood made up of blocks of flats that form part of the construction typology of the so-called absorption polygons or dormitory neighbourhoods, originated in the 1960s and 1970s. These were intended to be cheap, quick and easy to build housing so that they could accommodate a large part of the population that had previously lived in shantytowns. The buildings of La Mina Nova are a projection of the social, political, economic and urban history of Barcelona, located in Sant Adrià de Besòs. There are two characteristic blocks: those in Carrer Ponent, no. 2-12, and those in Carrer Llevant, no. 1-23. Both are linear blocks, but Carrer Llevant has a larger number of dwellings, with 486 flats and 26 business premises, while Carrer Ponent has only 60 dwellings and 6 business premises. The two façades are practically the same: it is a horizontal façade, configured in continuous longitudinal strips throughout the building, alternating a solid lock formed by the prefabricated concrete sills which are covered with a 3 mm metal sheet, used to protect the concrete from the weather and increase thermal insulation, and a lock. Historically, Sant Adrià de Besòs was an agricultural town, and the area now known as La Mina was characterised by an abundance of fields and some rural houses dedicated to farming. The existence of water mines used for irrigation is the explanation for the place name. The change from agricultural to industrial exploitation substantially affected the municipality, both in the urban and social spheres. Its location on the border with Barcelona, its access to the sea and the passage of the river favoured the establishment of different industries. These industries required a large workforce, making it possible to differentiate between two waves of immigration that conditioned the reality of Sant Adrià. In the first place, we find that of the 1920s and 1930s. The second wave was after the Spanish Civil War and the years that followed, when two different conditions accumulated: those who left for fear of being repressed by Franco's regime, and those who came to the Catalan capital in search of a job. In Barcelona, this resulted in large shantytowns, including Camp de la Bóta in Sant Adrià de Besòs. It is estimated that more than 10,000 shantytowns were built around Barcelona. In this context, in 1961, Barcelona approved a plan to eliminate shantytowns from the city. Thus, the current neighbourhood of La Mina was created to alleviate all the problems surrounding the shantytowns, being a housing estate that aimed to absorb the entire population of Camp de la Bóta and other shantytowns in Barcelona. The history of La Mina, then, began in 1967, with Porcioles as mayor of Barcelona, when the Barcelona town planning commission drew up a plan to build a residential area for shanty dwellers. The project stated that the neighbourhood was to have 2,100 homes, 7 kindergartens, 1 social centre, 1 health centre, 1 administrative centre and 1 parish centre. The reality is that the houses were built, but not most of the necessary facilities. La Mina was built in two phases and its architecture makes it easy to distinguish between them. Thus, the second phase, in 1972, is what we know as La Mina Nova - a group of buildings constructed with a tunnel formwork system, which allowed a very large number of dwellings to be built very quickly.

The construction of the Sant Adrià Thermal Power Station by FECSA takes place amidst the industrial development of the Spanish economy - since the 1960s, the growing demand for labour in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area had led to unprecedented immigration to this area from other locations in the Spanish Peninsula. The municipality of Sant Adrià de Besòs itself experienced an increase of approximately 20,000 inhabitants in this period, going from 15,000 inhabitants in 1960 to nearly 36,000 in 1981. Consequently, the demand for electrical energy skyrocketed during these years, giving rise to projects such as the Sant Adrià Power Station itself, or the power plants located in Ascó, Serchs or Vandellós. Initially, the project aroused great controversy in the municipality, giving rise to an opposition movement led by the president of the Association of the La Catalana neighbourhood. The main reason for this controversy was the concern about the increase in air pollution in the area, but news pieces published by some newspapers also served as a trigger, suggesting that the plant was being built without a building permit. Already during construction, in April 1973, a worker died during a confrontation between workers and law enforcement. However, today the Three Chimneys have become a symbol of Sant Adrià. This is certified by the creation of the Platform for the Conservation of the Three Chimneys of Sant Adrià in 2007. A year later, in 2008, the citizens of the municipality approved to keep the chimneys standing, with a result of 82% in favour, by means of a referendum.

The project eliminates an old street that passed in front of the housing building and brings all the public space against it. The relationship between the hall and the square becomes very direct, in continuity – they are an extension of the halls of the houses and the bars, which have their terraces next to the games. To reinforce this open-air lobby, a large climbing pergola traces the profile of the building at some distance. It acts as a cushion that absorbs the abrupt change of scale between the vertical and horizontal plane of the square: it turns the corner and heads towards the Fòrum. Inside this open hall there is a kiosk, which attracts attention due to its shape and colours. Its striped wrapper reveals its contents: ice cream and candies, concentrating much of the energy of this place. Beyond the pergola, a red path connects with a bridge that crosses over the Gran Via to the other side of this avenue, where the children go to school every day. On the way back, in the afternoon, they cross the bridge and see the candy stand in the distance. They still don't know if it's open or not since the door hides, turning towards the building and turning its back on them. The red crossing in the middle of the square acts as a shortcut. The square is no longer just a square, but rather a street with things passing on one side and the other. It connects the other side of the Gran Via with the La Mina neighbourhood, and beyond the new area of the Fòrum and the sea.