Barberí Laboratory

Olot, Girona, Spain

Photo © Hisao Suzuki

Office Buildings

Architects: RCR Arquitectes

Location: Olot, Girona, Spain
Year: 2008

“Making a dream come true: discovering a place to dream in, with meetings, debates, conversations, meditation, silence, the garden, history, and… smelling and breathing. Creating: architecture and landscape. Sharing: for us and many others…Quietly getting on with our work.”

The old Barberí foundry, built at the beginning of the 20th century was acquired by the architects in 2004 for their office, which they like to call Barberí Laboratory. The previous building had smoke-laden walls, ceilings and floors from previous fires. The materials, colors and smells of the old furnace and chimneys provided the powerful starting point for the new project. There are three main parts to the office, the double-height library which runs along the length of the building, a second building opening onto the courtyard with workstations, and a new glass enclosed pavilion supported by iron columns. The original materials – wood, stone, and ceramics – are in contrast and dialogue with the new steel and glass, which were added to make highly functional and inspirational spaces. The trees and ferns in the interior courtyard spaces make both a divergence and a connection between architecture and nature.