- Area: 8500 m²
- Year: 2009
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Photographs:Manuel Giron Perez
Text description provided by the architects. The Building is located in the 22@ District of Barcelona, anold industrial part of the city that has recently been renewed with self-sufficient technological buildings. Its industrial character gave way to different names being given according to the what the factories produced.
This building is to be found in a part of the old ‘Can Framis’ factory block, where there used to be two industrial buildings with little architectural interest but an important sense of belonging to this complex.
It’s form was created from superimposingthe oldbuilding’s out-line over the Cerda’s urban street plan, resulting in an articulated complex that envelopes a space and returns it to its origins.
This resulted on one hand, a four story building aligned to Calle (street) Tanger and on the other a lower building that comes in at an angle in respect to the alignment of the street, it is this misalignment that forms in the entrance to the complex, surrounding an inner square, made up by buildings and the intersection of the two bordering streets. The foyer is an open three-story high space that allows the visitant to perceive the crossing of these two bodies that intersect at this point, giving a full understanding of the space thanks to the light and the contrast of different materials used.
Importance was given to reflecting the presence of the old industrial buildings, this was achieved by respecting the original out lines and the compact well defined forms.
The façades that faces the street are mostly solid with few perforations, made from one stone volume, which reflexes a heavy appearance, texture and an almost arrogant presence. By contrast the inner façades are more transparent allowing the centre garden participate in the interior.
The structure resolved the interior, due to lack of support pillars we were able to form a multipurpose spaces, which could be adapt to future changes in distribution this gave the name ‘movement lab’.
