La Fábrica — or The Factory — is considered Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill’s crowning achievement. Bofill transforms an early 20th century cement factory — with its severe, 105 metre tall chimneys — into a light-filled feat of architectural remodelling. Bofill asks us what we can do with the remnants of industrial society? What hidden reserves of beauty can we unearth from the horrors of late-stage capitalism?  As Arquitectura-G describes, in conversation with Bofill, ‘The concrete silos that emerge as pure volumes devoured by the lush vegetation were transformed into a variety of enchained spaces that have the perfect balance between the delicate human scale and brutal monumentality.’ As photographed by Nacho Alegre, La Fábrica from the outside looks like some dilapidated techno-dystopian cityscape in all its horror and beauty but inside, its curtains cascade like translucent, man-made waterfalls.

Published by: Apartamento
Cover: Hardcover