Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill has been running his international architectural and urban design practice, Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, since 1963.

In 1973, the architect discovered an old cement factory no longer in use in Sant Just Desvern, a town in Catalonia, Spain, just outside of Barcelona. The factory was dated from the first period of the industrialization of Catalonia, and as such, was not built at once or as a whole, but as a series of additions as the various chains of production became necessary. It consisted of enormous silos, a tall smoke stack, machine rooms, some four kilometres of underground tunnels and stairs that climbed to nowhere.

The architect was seduced by the potential, deciding at once to transform the industrial complex into a live/work space and the head office of Taller de Arquitectura, modifying its original brutality and sculpting it like a work of art. The remodeling would last about two years, and began with the demolition of part of the old structure, defining spaces and adding greenery to soften the effect of the concrete--plants would climb walls and hang from rooftops. In the end, eight silos would remain and be transformed into the team’s studio, offices covering four floors and connected by a spiral staircase. A library, archives, models laboratory, projections room would also be added to the complex and the original factory hall was transformed into a conference and exhibition room, and become known as "The Cathedral". Outside, lawns and gardens of eucalyptus, palm and olive trees and cypresses surround the space.

In the end, form and function were dissociated, as in this instance, function did not create the form, but rather, it can seen that any space can be used in any manner of the architect's choosing, if he or she has enough skill and imagination ...

All images from Mode D'Amour & Ricardo Bofill