The CCIB is a multifunctional building, set at the point where the great Diagonál Boulevard reaches the sea at the north-eastern city limit of Barcelona. At the other side of the border, lies Sant Adria de Besós - a poor community, that boasts a big waste incinerator (chimney visible) and a typical mixture of marginal constructions for industry and housing.
There is a striking contrast between the Barcelona high value urbanistic development of the former harbour area, and the stagnating popular areas that surround it.