BURR secures madrid’s industrial heritage with ‘eulalia’ warehouse conversion

INDUSTRIAL RECOVERY by BURR

Experimental architecture practice BURR responds to the disappearance of Madrid‘s industrial heritage and rising house prices with this warehouse conversion project called ‘Eulalia’.

‘Industrial activity in the center of the city of Madrid has gradually decreased in the last 30 years to end up in the current situation: a foreseeable disappearance,’ explains BURR. ‘The explosive rise in property value, noise- or environmental protection measures and traffic density, among other reasons, have led to a diaspora of industrial activity from the city center to the outskirts.’

In a bid to protect the city’s industrial typology, the Spanish architects have transformed an existing warehouse into a living space and studio for photographer Juan Baraja.

image by Luis Díaz Díaz

‘content rather than the container’

Instead of overhauling the existing floor plan, the team focused on inserting various objects and furniture pieces to make the warehouse feel more like a home for its new resident. Objects include large format photographs, work tools, rescued and restored furniture, a kitchen from a recently closed restaurant, a bench from an abandoned church and plants of different types and sizes.

‘Eulalia focuses on the content rather than the container, centering the experience on the different relationships that these objects establish with each other,’ say the architects.

BURR’s approach of making the warehouse a ‘large background’ for objects means the industrial aesthetic of the building is left largely intact. This character is most evident in the large open-plan kitchen, dining, living and workspace, where the original steel truss and metal roof sheeting are left exposed.

A modest bedroom and toilet and shower room have been added to afford a small space of intimacy. This private area is denoted by a new metal staircase, a bright yellow handrail, and a mint green warehouse door.

image by Luis Díaz Díaz