Spanish Architect Ricardo Bofill Transforms Old Cement Factory into Home and Workplace

Spanish Architect Ricardo Bofill Transforms Old Cement Factory into Home and Workplace

In 1973, Ricardo Bofill and his team came upon a Cement Factory, just outside Barcelona, which seemed to be in a fairly good condition. The factory dates back to the industrialization period of Catatonia in the 19th century. According to the architect, the factory was built incrementally, with new parts added, over time, whenever needed. The abandoned factory might have been perceived by some as mere ruins not worth a second look at, but to the Spanish architect and his team it was full of potential.

Bofill explained on his website that “the different visual and aesthetics trends that had developed since World War I coexisted” in the abandoned factory, represented in the surrealist stairs, absurd elements, weird yet magical proportions, abstracted volumes, and brutal surface materials. As a result of this perception, the architect and his team decided to purchase and revamp the old factory, turning it into Bofill’s home and the team’s studio.

After 45 years of refurbishment, ‘La fábrica’ came to be. Its roof and surroundings were entirely covered in lush vegetation. The different parts of the factory kept their original form and architectural style while hosting different functions. Some of the interior walls were demolished to attain an open space which can function as a design studio. The factory’s huge openings were maintained, providing the spacious interior with the desired amount of natural light.

“Presently I live and work here better than anywhere else. It is for me the only place where I can concentrate and associate ideas in the most abstract manner. I have the impression of living in a precinct, in a closed universe which protects me from the outside and everyday life,” says Ricardo Bofill about La fábrica. “The Cement Factory is a place of work par excellence. Life goes on here in a continuous sequence, with very little difference between work and leisure. I have the impression of living in the same environment that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia.”