Situated on Barcelona’s outskirts, La Fábrica—a transformed cement factory—houses Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) and the Bofill family. This visionary complex embodies RBTA’s ethos, merging architectural innovation with cultural sensitivity. Once a polluting industrial site, it now stands as a dynamic laboratory for ideas, reflecting the studio’s legacy and avant-garde philosophy.

Ricardo Bofill discovered the derelict factory in 1973, weeks before its planned demolition. Spanning 31,000m², its labyrinth of silos, tunnels and brutalist forms became his canvas. Bofill’s “peripheral vision”—a sensitivity to overlooked contexts—reimagined the site not as a relic of Catalonia’s 1920s industrialisation, but as a bridge between Fordist pragmatism and post-material creativity. Over 18 months, strategic demolition and sculptural intervention revealed hidden beauty: surrealist staircases, abstract volumes and raw concrete textures. The factory’s rebirth rejected functionalism, prioritising spatial possibility over prescribed use.

Eight remaining silos form RBTA’s workspace, where a multidisciplinary team collaborates across four levels connected by spiral staircases. Bofill’s minimalist office, adorned with Thonet chairs and archival materials, sits on the first floor. At the complex’s heart lies La Catedral—a vast, light-filled hall with 10m ceilings. Its gothic-industrial ambience merges brutalism with serene minimalism, hosting exhibitions and conferences.

The residence reflects Bofill’s belief in spaces for reflection. The Sala Cúbica, a raw concrete living area with arched windows, echoes De Chirico’s surrealism, while a marble-clad kitchen and fireplace anchor communal life. Outside, “wild urbanism” reigns: palms, eucalyptus and ivy envelop the structure, softening its edges.

La Fábrica remains both home and manifesto—a testament to architecture’s power to transcend function and inspire reinvention.