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July 8, 2013

The Ultimate Repurposing

Mondays at fleaChic are usually dedicated to the Art of Repurposing but today's
post falls under the category of The Queen Mother of All Repurposing.  


In 1973 Italian artist Ricardo Bofill came across an abandoned turn-of-the-century cement factory near Barcelona, Spain.  In an instant he was captivated by the possibilities of converting the 30 silos, huge engine rooms and complex concrete structures into usable living and working spaces.

Before:

After:

Bofill's first step was to define the myriad of spaces and The Cement Factory started taking shape.  Most of the silos were torn down but the eight that remained were transformed into offices, a library and a projection room.


One large open area known as "The Cathedral" (below) is
used for exhibitions, concerts and cultural functions.











Private apartments were partitioned off and
are used by resident architects and visitors.









For architectural and aesthetic interest, some of the ruins were left standing: 

The Cement Factory is proof that old commercial buildings and
factories can be successfully repurposed into functional, productive
space.  Today's post kind of makes you want to go out and buy an
old factory, doesn't it?

4 comments:

  1. What an amazing project to undertake and what a success too.

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  2. This is so beautiful...I love the open, vintage feeling to all of the spaces and the way it is all softened with vines and greenery. A real feeling of timelessness. xo

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  3. Your posts are always fun, but this one is awesome. Love that idea and I would love to live in something like that. Loved that they kept some of the ruins for their outside spaces, too.

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