Gon architects, an award-winning architecture office based in Madrid, led the project of transforming an old, industrial building into a working space for their client Repapubli. Both parties’ emphasis on innovation and bright spaces led to an open office plan for a team of young creatives.
What was once an industrial building used as a bathroom appliances store in Mostoles, a municipality just outside of Madrid, turned into a modern open-space working environment aiming to ensure a positive impact on the employees by providing natural daylight and ventilation. Both the client and the architect agreed on transforming the space into something inviting, joyful and informal. The client Repapubli, a company working with distribution of newspapers and advertisements, wanted to bring a contemporary and leisured feel to the office, while keeping the building’s industrial exterior.
Sideral building in Móstoles, Spain
“We wanted to keep the industrial character of the building while adding features necessary in a contemporary working environment. The biggest change in the existing structure was the introduction of daylight in the main space on the upper floor. We punctured the roof with an array of VELUX windows, gaining inviting office spaces under corrugated steel-clad inclined roof”, says Gonzalo Pardo, founder of gon architects. The facilities extend over two floors covering a combined area of 630 square meters. The contemporary layout includes the warehouse, offices, lunch room and a relaxation area. The most eye-catching part is the meeting room featuring a unique plant-covered ceiling. As per client’s request, this room is located the furthest away from the entrance, to allow visitors to see the entire space before coming in for a meeting.
The rest of the ceiling on the upper floor does not match the exterior form of the roof, but enhances the industrial characteristics of the building with its’ steel surfaces. Thanks to the line of VELUX roof windows, natural daylight is distributed all throughout the space. “We have worked with VELUX on numerous projects before, which gave us the know-how necessary to convince the client to invest in openable roof windows. They are crucial for obtaining fresh air in the interior. Thanks to them the heating and air-conditioning system runs only on days with extreme weather, mainly in the wintertime. We have proven that good natural ventilation can work even during Madrid’s hot summer. We hope that the roof can be fitted with solar panels to reduce the energy consumption even further”, says Gonzalo Pardo.