From a cement factory to a fairytale castle.

It was in the early 1970s when Ricardo Bofill came across an abandoned cement factory, dating back to 1968, in Sant Just Desvern, a suburb of Barcelona. And the young architect fell in love with the old, dilapidated building at first sight.

Located west of Barcelona, ​​the most striking feature of Sant Just Desvern in 1968 was nothing more than massive concrete blocks, enormous silos, and rows of grey smokestacks. But shortly thereafter, the entire 31,000 m² industrial complex transformed.²This building has been completely demolished. For an architect, this is truly a perfect opportunity, a space large and beautiful enough to satisfy their creative desires. Thus, Bofill has given this dilapidated building a chance for rebirth.

“When I first visited the cement factory, I suddenly wondered if something horrible could be transformed into something beautiful, just as foolishness can sometimes become a brilliant idea. By changing my perspective, like looking through a kaleidoscope, I began to imagine all the artistic styles I could apply to redesigning this building: brutalism, surrealism, even abstraction. So I decided to keep the building and transform its ugliness into a true work of art.”

Let's take a look at the results of 45 years of creativity, as Ricardo Bofill transformed a dilapidated old factory into a romantic and beautiful castle.

Phuong Anh