Visionary lofts

The renewal of the industrial area of Poble Nou (District 22 @ Bcn activities) provides its transformation into the new "District 22 @ BCN activities, devoted mainly to the industries of the new economy, information technology and communication. In an old sugar factory a set of unusual characteristics has been presented is transformed into a new use project aimed at a special public that is both dynamic and progressive. There has been the unique result and quality. The project builds on the qualities of the original industrial building. The old warehouses were sectioned vertically with the rhythm set by the existing trusses of the roof structure in order to obtain lofts of two or three levels. The volumes of various built levels have been a... More

The building envelope ≠ the insulation envelope : the interspace between these two shells is ‘covered outdoor’ space. The interspace allows/obliges inhabitants to use the space differently each season. In summer and spring the interspace is occupied as living space (covered from rain) and in winter there’s only the ‘cocoon’ that needs to be heated. The covered outdoor space also allows a flexible use in time which is a way of sustainable living / building. Units can be added, removed or repositioned to create a different constellation and use of space. CHALLENGES The covered outdoor space allows the use of materials and building details in a way that wouldn’t be possible outdoors in all weather conditions. In a ‘normal’... More

The 'Pallet loft' is a design project from q-bic, a Florentine Architects studio.It is a recovery intervention of the attic floor, of a nineteenth-century industrial building, situated on the edge of the Florence historical citycenter. The space of 180 sqm has a multi-purpose destination: it can host small events and parties or acts as a temporary guests accomodation. The space it is made of a single aisle, so that you can percieve its lenght with a sigle look. Nevertheless there are small partitions, painted in different shades of colors, that mark the space and emphasize different loft areas and functions.The idea of designing a space that was as multifunctional and versatile as possible, led us to the choiche of Pallet s the main instru... More

The project pursues the recovery and re-use of a small portion of an old warehouse of the '500 located in a building near the Old Port of Genoa, transformed into a residence in 1800. It was originally a portion of the salt stores and tobacco (which still exist and are used for public functions by the Municipality of Genoa), in which were stored the goods on arrival and departure from the commercial port. The building is in fact part of a municipal district created by the City of Genoa in 1500 and only partly used for residential use. It is characterized by stone masonry / brick and wooden floors made from wood of chestnut in part coming from the recovery of pre-industrial masts of the ships. The construction system of the part behind th... More

With the transformation of an old harbor-cantina on KNSM island in Amsterdam into large apartments, this building changed its function but kept its identity. The house we created is composed from 4 smalles 'houses', containing the more private spaces and supporting facilities. In between them, an open multifunctional space emerges (the streets) and a natural daylight enters deep into the house. The elevated second level is used for cooking, dining, working and has a guest house, connected by walking bridges. These 'roof terraces' are placed in such way that you can fully enjoy the view of the adjacent harbour. The walls consist of closets and cupboards which double function as a wooden support structure. The whole loft-space is thus u... More

An existing house in a monumental canal house is renovated and refurnished. In the late eighties, this former shop has already been transformed in a special way to an open and very distinctive loft. The challenge of the design was on one hand to make a very recognizable and functional new addition but on the other hand to show respect for this spatial design and monumental status. The client loves to cook and wanted a unique kitchen whet he could have as much contact as possible with his guests during cooking. We proposed one new element which integrated kitchen and dining table, and that adapts to the space and routing of the apartment. In addition, the floor continues with a number of different levels into a lounge area with canal view... More

The project handles the conversion of a 1923 industrial shed in an inner court in Madrid’s historic centre into loft apartments. The main features of the space, greatly altered in a conversion, where its powerful steel trusses and the great glass skylight crowning its centre. The project establishes two basic operations: demolition of two rows of floor slabs and opening of continuous skylights above to illuminate the lower areas of the space; and demolition of a construction wing obstructing the view towards the exuberant garden of Viana Palace, allowing for three terraces perched above it. A loft is placed under the great skylight, between the two great trusses, as a great single space wide open to its terrace and the garden beyond. A m... More

Motto: „The flatness of today’s standard construction is strengthened by a weakened sense of materiality. Natural materials – stone, brick, wood – allow our vision to penetrate their surfaces and enable us to become convinced of the veracity of the matter”. (Pallasmaa, 2005) The architectural interior design of the small loft apartment strives not only to accomplish the investor’s and author’s functional requirements, but also to reach a spatial experience perceivable with all our senses by means of material, colors, and shape combinations. The loft conversion is located in the Bubeneč Prague district in a corner apartment house built in the thirties. The attic is northeast oriented, facing the street. Originally, it was used for drying... More

Since the last decade of the xx century, it has been usual, especially in the old Europe, the commission of projects demanding the conservation, renovation and conversion of constructions from a recent and distant past and from the most diverse typologies, and cultural matrices - This Interior architecture often becomes a field of experimentation for architectural ideas and one of the most challenging themes of the contemporary city. Not only because of urban conditions but also because of historical, social and political demands. This preservation syndrome, sometimes leads to a overvaluation of the building structures. Age is not a warranty of architectural quality; on the contrary it is a natural process of selection. The adequacy to n... More

A couple and their four children buy a new place in Paris. She comes from “les Vosges” and remembers either the cabins made out of pine wood and the blue color from the family house in Brittany. He comes from Belgium and wishes he could come across interiors warmth from his country again. Worried the children discover their parents’ purchase. Originally the place was a printing-house 72 sqm on the ground floor without any natural light, 216 sqm on the second floor creeping under a four story building toward the street and zenithaly enlightened. The place doesn’t have any views on the outside and light gets in through localized glass roofs. Historical and structural studies of the building indicate that the second floor was a workshop.... More

The interest in postindustrial objects is not new phenomenon. It begun in the ’50, when a culture of American lofts used as cheap flats and atelier for artistic avant-garde was born. Gradually sanction of postindustrial tissue as life and living aesthetics was extended to the new bourgeois classes by which the revitalized object or postindustrial area started to compete with accredited and wealthy districts. Such situation is currently happening in Poland, where media interest in lofts is huge. Hence, the decision about adaptation of former granary seems to be right. Location The granary building is located in a very attractive part of Gliwice filled with low and medium residential buildings, which is very rare considering location of... More

Many towns in Denmark have centrally located industrial silos; most are no longer in use, but continue to visually dominate the local skyline. This is also the case in the town of Løgten north of Aarhus, where the former silo complex has been transformed into a 'rural high-rise', with 21 high-quality residences composed as individual and unique 'stacked villas'. They are an alternative to standard apartments or to detached suburban sprawl, and are a mix of single storey flats and maisonettes, meaning that even the lower levels fully get to enjoy the views, and that no two flats are the same. The actual silo contains staircases and lifts, and provides the base of a common roof terrace. Around the tower, the apartments are built up upon... More