You know the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Or maybe, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”? Both statements have to do with being able to see the true value of something, rather than focusing solely on how things look on the outside.
One architect must have really taken these statements to heart, because not only was he able to see the potential beauty of an old building, but he was also able to make it into something truly remarkable for everyone to see.
The Incredible Transformation
Ricardo Bofill is a Spanish architect, and a very skilled one as you’ll soon see. In 1973 he found an old, rundown, cement factory just outside of Barcelona. The factory had been in use during WWI and its deteriorating structure must have seemed like a completely lost cause to Bofill’s team. He decided to purchase it anyway and immediately got to work to make his vision of a beautiful home a reality.
The project lasted 45 years and is still in progress as Bofill continues to renovate his now beautiful home. He named it “la fábrica,” which is Spanish for “The Factory.”
Bofill sees la fábrica as a metaphor for his own life, because just as his home is changing shape, so are his visions for the future. And the incredible transformation is a lesson for all of us, in that even something as plain or ugly as an old factory can still become something beautiful with hard work and dedication.
The Long And Beautiful Process
45 years is an awfully long time to be constructing a home, but the wait was definitely worth it. Bofill’s expertise really showed through in every renovation.
After years of deconstruction, Bofill began working on the interior, lacing it with vegetation and remodeling it as a modern living and workspace.
The chimneys that had once polluted the air with smoke are now overflowing with lush greenery. In fact, almost the entire exterior is covered and surrounded with grass, eucalyptus, palm and olive trees.
But as beautiful as the exterior is, the interior is what’s truly breathtaking. There are gorgeous bedrooms, leisure rooms, kitchen and dining rooms, and even offices and workspaces. No two rooms are alike, and each one more beautiful than the one before.
Some of the walls have been covered or painted, but many rooms maintain the original cement walls and are simply accented with curtains, furniture, and greenery. This technique gives the home an aspect of romantic ruin that is simply charming.
Although la fábrica is still a work in progress, what has been accomplished so far by Bofill is truly remarkable.
What Will You Create?
Seeing this old cement factory be transformed into a gorgeous home is truly inspiring. With enough creative thinking and hard work, any space can become something unrecognizably beautiful.
It’s easy to look at the difficult or ugly parts of our lives and see them as just that. Something that just simply isn’t worth the effort. Bofill shows us that this just isn’t true. Anything that may be seemingly ugly or impossible from the outside is really something beautiful that’s just waiting for the right time to show through. So, what beautiful things will you create?
Written by Emilyn Gil
Source: Bored Panda
