Desig House: At Home: An Old Cement Factory Converted

See the stunning interiors of old cement factory 'La Fábrica' in Spain, which was cleverly transformed by architect Ricardo Bofill into a spacious and highly unusual home

In 1973, Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill discovered an old cement factory just outside Barcelona. "We found enormous silos, a tall smoke snack, four kilometres of underground tunnels, machine rooms in good shape," writes Bofill on his website.

He identified several magical elements that were surprisingly modern, from surrealism in the building's stairs that led nowhere to brutalism in its structure and absurdity in its strange proportions. "Seduced by the contradictions and the ambiguity of the place, we quickly decided to retain the factory and sculpt it like a work of art."

The architect now works and lives in this stunning space, and beautifully describes life there as "a continuous sequence, with very little difference between work and leisure". The factory dates from the early twentieth century, thus giving "the impression of living in the same environment that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia."

Visit ricardobofill.com for more photographs and further information.