Add To Collection
Add to Collection
El Born Loft
El Born Loft
Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Spain
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
Other Projects by Roman Izquierdo Bouldstridge
El Born Loft
Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Spain
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2026
SIZE
0 sqft - 1000 sqft
BUDGET
$10K - 50K
The conversion of an old commercial space into a dwelling, located in the Barcelona district of El Born, is conceived as an exploration of the void. The project aligns with the spatial conception developed by the master Lao-Tse:
… “We make a vessel from a piece of clay; it is the empty space inside that gives it its utility. We build doors and windows for a room; but it is these empty spaces that make it habitable. Thus, while the tangible has its advantages, it is the intangible from which the useful emerges.”
The core concept is articulated across four interrelated dimensions that embody the void: time, space, material, and program.
The Void in Time: Transformation of a system
The modular ash wood system was not originally designed for this loft. Over a span of ten years, it has adopted various configurations, initially serving as commercial infrastructure and later as office spaces, adapting to new needs without compromising its structural logic.
This approach goes beyond merely reusing a system; it involves attributing new meanings at each stage of its lifecycle. The structure is successively reinterpreted as commercial support, workplace furniture, and finally, as a domestic element with symbolic value. The wood retains marks, tonal variations, and traces that bear witness to the passage of time, incorporating aging as an architectural quality.
Architecture, therefore, embraces a state of impermanence, where the continuity of the system over time depends not on its permanence in a specific place but on its ability to adapt to new forms and functions while maintaining its identity. A void exists in time; even though structure and use evolve, its underlying logic remains unchanged.
The Void in Space: A succession of three torii
The project involves creating a new scenery formed by a succession of three torii, traditional Japanese gateways symbolizing the transition from the profane to the sacred. Their function lies not in their material use but in the new perception provided to the user. Between these thresholds, intervals and pauses are generated, giving rise to a landscape with an interior path.
The Japanese concept of ma emphasizes the significance of the intermediate space as a generator of meaning. It is not the isolated element that defines the place, but rather the relationships and distances between elements. Repetition introduces a rhythm that transforms spatial perception. The sequence culminates in a staircase leading to natural light, enhancing the experience of reaching another space. Although the visible is the torii, the essential lies in the void it frames.
The Void in Material: White as a field of possibility
The intervention starts with an approach that seeks to remove as much as possible while adding only what is strictly necessary. The walls are stripped back to reveal the existing stone and brick masonry, false ceilings are removed to expose the wooden beams and Catalan ceramic vaults, and the entire envelope is unified under a layer of white. White does not act as a finish, but rather as the visual equivalent of the void; it is not an absence of color, but a field of possibility to be inhabited.
Stone, wood, and ceramics emerge from beneath this neutral surface, intensifying their presence in an abstract language. Boundaries dissolve, and natural light expands, while highlighting the wood of the torii and fostering a warm atmosphere. Reduction does not imply subtraction, but rather the concentration of architecture on light, space, and material as fundamental elements.
The Void in Program: Flexible and interchangeable use
The layout follows the same logic of containment. A single open space, nearly five meters in height, articulated by a mezzanine, forms a continuous floor plan where the bathroom is the only enclosed space. No hierarchies or partitions are established, giving rise to an open program. The project does not define specific functions, generating a flexible framework capable of evolving over time. The loft is currently a residence, but could easily be converted into an office, shop, or another use without altering its architecture.
The furniture is solved through the most elemental structure: panels on four legs, varying in height and proportion according to their function. The strategy of reusing a system, minimal construction intervention, resource reduction, and flexibility do not respond from a specific sustainability goal, but rather emerge naturally from the search for simplicity. In this containment arises the beauty of the minimum, where a large tree and plants are conceived as living elements that occupy the void without fixing it. The architecture does not present itself as an object, but offers a silent support; a blank space allowing matter, light, and life to enter in harmony.
… “We make a vessel from a piece of clay; it is the empty space inside that gives it its utility. We build doors and windows for a room; but it is these empty spaces that make it habitable. Thus, while the tangible has its advantages, it is the intangible from which the useful emerges.”
The core concept is articulated across four interrelated dimensions that embody the void: time, space, material, and program.
The Void in Time: Transformation of a system
The modular ash wood system was not originally designed for this loft. Over a span of ten years, it has adopted various configurations, initially serving as commercial infrastructure and later as office spaces, adapting to new needs without compromising its structural logic.
This approach goes beyond merely reusing a system; it involves attributing new meanings at each stage of its lifecycle. The structure is successively reinterpreted as commercial support, workplace furniture, and finally, as a domestic element with symbolic value. The wood retains marks, tonal variations, and traces that bear witness to the passage of time, incorporating aging as an architectural quality.
Architecture, therefore, embraces a state of impermanence, where the continuity of the system over time depends not on its permanence in a specific place but on its ability to adapt to new forms and functions while maintaining its identity. A void exists in time; even though structure and use evolve, its underlying logic remains unchanged.
The Void in Space: A succession of three torii
The project involves creating a new scenery formed by a succession of three torii, traditional Japanese gateways symbolizing the transition from the profane to the sacred. Their function lies not in their material use but in the new perception provided to the user. Between these thresholds, intervals and pauses are generated, giving rise to a landscape with an interior path.
The Japanese concept of ma emphasizes the significance of the intermediate space as a generator of meaning. It is not the isolated element that defines the place, but rather the relationships and distances between elements. Repetition introduces a rhythm that transforms spatial perception. The sequence culminates in a staircase leading to natural light, enhancing the experience of reaching another space. Although the visible is the torii, the essential lies in the void it frames.
The Void in Material: White as a field of possibility
The intervention starts with an approach that seeks to remove as much as possible while adding only what is strictly necessary. The walls are stripped back to reveal the existing stone and brick masonry, false ceilings are removed to expose the wooden beams and Catalan ceramic vaults, and the entire envelope is unified under a layer of white. White does not act as a finish, but rather as the visual equivalent of the void; it is not an absence of color, but a field of possibility to be inhabited.
Stone, wood, and ceramics emerge from beneath this neutral surface, intensifying their presence in an abstract language. Boundaries dissolve, and natural light expands, while highlighting the wood of the torii and fostering a warm atmosphere. Reduction does not imply subtraction, but rather the concentration of architecture on light, space, and material as fundamental elements.
The Void in Program: Flexible and interchangeable use
The layout follows the same logic of containment. A single open space, nearly five meters in height, articulated by a mezzanine, forms a continuous floor plan where the bathroom is the only enclosed space. No hierarchies or partitions are established, giving rise to an open program. The project does not define specific functions, generating a flexible framework capable of evolving over time. The loft is currently a residence, but could easily be converted into an office, shop, or another use without altering its architecture.
The furniture is solved through the most elemental structure: panels on four legs, varying in height and proportion according to their function. The strategy of reusing a system, minimal construction intervention, resource reduction, and flexibility do not respond from a specific sustainability goal, but rather emerge naturally from the search for simplicity. In this containment arises the beauty of the minimum, where a large tree and plants are conceived as living elements that occupy the void without fixing it. The architecture does not present itself as an object, but offers a silent support; a blank space allowing matter, light, and life to enter in harmony.
Product Spec Sheet
Were your products used?
Join as a manufacturer to add your products.