Energy Efficiency and a Distinct Identity in an Industrial Park
Creativity is not the exclusive territory of iconic public buildings or dream homes. It is a powerful tool capable of transforming even the most utilitarian architecture—industrial buildings included. This conviction guided architecture studio OOIIO when a business owner commissioned them to design a large facility for the sale and repair of automobiles in an industrial park in Leganés, within Greater Madrid.
The brief was demanding: a large commercial showroom, offices, mechanical and bodywork workshops, and extensive storage for hundreds of vehicles, all while accommodating the constant circulation of cars throughout the building. Adding to the challenge, the site already contained an abandoned industrial structure—a former kitchen factory unused for years.
Projects of this nature are typically handled by engineering firms, favoring predictable, purely functional solutions. Rarely are they entrusted to architecture studios with a strong creative identity. A walk through any industrial park reveals how little attention is usually paid to architectural expression, materiality, or the capacity of these buildings to generate emotion. This project stands apart as a rare exception within the world of automotive architecture.
As Le Corbusier observed, a building—even an industrial one—can be understood as a machine in which every element must perform with precision. Like a car, it must function flawlessly, prioritizing efficiency and performance. But it must also communicate identity and provoke emotion. Automotive brands have long understood this duality, carefully shaping the experiences their products deliver. Here, that same logic is translated into architecture.
The project’s defining decision was to retain and repurpose the existing industrial structure rather than demolish it. This choice represents a significantly more sustainable approach, avoiding unnecessary waste and giving new life to an obsolete building. A former kitchen factory becomes, through adaptation, a contemporary hub for car sales and repair.
Functionally, the ground floor houses the showroom and workshops, while the upper floors are dedicated to vehicle storage. The existing structure was reinforced to support the increased loads, and the original roof was replaced with an additional storage level shaded by photovoltaic pergolas. These generate enough energy not only to supply the building itself, but also to contribute to the surrounding area.
Large circulation ramps run along both sides of the building, organizing vehicle movement and coexisting with customer routes on the ground floor. Offices are located on the first floor, completing the functional program with clarity and efficiency.
The original building’s closed brick façade offered no insulation and little presence. The redesign radically redefines the relationship between interior and exterior. Upper storage levels remain naturally ventilated and unconditioned, while energy use is concentrated exclusively on the ground floor, where people work and interact.
The new façade becomes the project’s most distinctive element. White metal slats of varying sizes, mounted on a mint-green substructure, wrap the building’s perimeter and integrate the chimneys and ventilation ducts required by the workshops below. By exposing these technical elements, the design embraces and amplifies the building’s industrial character, while freeing interior space for vehicle circulation.
This envelope transforms the building into a bold container for cars, standing out within the uniform landscape of the industrial park through rhythm, texture, and color. The vertical slats recall the banners of car dealerships, drawing attention while performing a crucial environmental role. They provide passive solar control, reducing energy demand and allowing natural cross-ventilation to cool the upper levels—even during Madrid’s hottest summers—without mechanical systems.
Energy efficiency, adaptive reuse, passive climate strategies, rainwater harvesting for car washing, and a strong architectural identity come together in a single project. This building demonstrates that industrial architecture can be efficient, sustainable, and expressive at the same time.
Another kind of industrial building is possible.
Team:
Architects: OOIIO Architecture
Author: Joaquín Millán Villamuelas
Design team: Candela Bonilla Moreno, Federica Aridon Mamolar, Ximena Zenteno Ladrón de Guevara
Carpentry and integrated furniture – commercial area: Aureo Design Wood
Curtains – vehicle delivery area: La Casita Azul
Photographer: Javier de Paz
Materials Used:
expanded metal façade — Siwell
exterior lighting — Disano
SATE opaque façade cladding (car workshop area) — Baumit
Nickel ceramic flooring, Cementum Collection (commercial area) , Nero ceramic tiles, Luz Collection (ground floor vehicle delivery area), Luz Collection ceramic tiles (first floor bathrooms), Azzurro Polvere ceramic tiles, Luz Collection (first floor office) — Marazzi
Metallic, White and Green ceramic tiles (ground floor bathrooms) — Aparici
ceramic tiles (workshop changing rooms) — Vilar Álbaro
faucets — Imex
sanitary ware and toilets — Grupo Fossil Natura
