This building renovation in Poblenou, Barcelona transformed an 820 m² former light-industrial property into five premium residential loft apartments and a ground-floor commercial unit. The building stands in the 22@ district near Carrer del Pallars, one of the most sought-after pockets of the neighbourhood. Originally constructed in the 1960s as a light manufacturing facility, it had been vacant for several years before acquisition. The structure was solid. The bones were exceptional.
The project involved complete structural assessment and reinforcement, full replacement of all building systems, new vertical circulation, and the architectural conversion of industrial floor plates into generous residential volumes. It is the most technically complex project Lirian has delivered to date.
Building Overview
The five apartments range from 130 to 200 m² across four floors. The ground-floor commercial unit occupies 120 m² with a 4.5-metre ceiling height and a direct street frontage. The penthouse on the fourth floor has a private 60 m² rooftop terrace with panoramic views across Poblenou and the sea.
Units were designed as individual compositions rather than repeated floor plans. Each has a distinct spatial identity while sharing a consistent material language: exposed concrete, blackened steel, aged oak, and polished mineral floors. Common areas — staircase, lobby, and bicycle storage — were designed with the same level of care as the residential interiors.
Structural and Systems Work
The renovation began with full structural reinforcement of the existing concrete frame. New floor-to-ceiling steel-frame industrial windows were installed across the front and rear façades, restoring the building’s character while dramatically improving natural light. The roof was completely rebuilt with 200mm rigid insulation and a new membrane, incorporating drainage and preparing the surface for the penthouse terrace.
All building systems were replaced entirely. New plumbing risers, independent electrical distribution per unit, centralised mechanical ventilation, and underfloor heating throughout were installed from scratch. This level of infrastructure investment was essential for a building conversion of this scale and is rarely executed with this degree of completeness.
Residential Interiors
In every apartment, the design preserves and celebrates the industrial DNA of the building. Existing concrete columns were cleaned, repaired where necessary, and left exposed. Original concrete slab ceilings were sandblasted and sealed, revealing the mineral grain of the structure. Floor heights across the residential levels range from 3.1 to 3.6 metres, giving each apartment a spatial quality rarely found in conventional residential buildings.
Floors throughout are finished in large-format honed grey concrete-look porcelain in a 120 × 120 cm format. Kitchens feature bespoke cabinetry in blackened oak with aged brass hardware and engineered stone worktops. Bathrooms use large-format warm white stone-look porcelain paired with wall-hung matt black fittings. Steel-frame internal partitions and custom shelving in blackened steel and solid oak appear across multiple units, reinforcing the building’s architectural language.
The penthouse apartment on the fourth floor was treated as the signature unit. A double-height living space opens directly onto the rooftop terrace through full-width bifold steel and glass doors. The terrace is finished with large-format outdoor stone tiles, custom-built steel planters, and a pergola in powder-coated steel.
Façade and Common Areas
The external façade was fully cleaned, repointed, and treated. Ground-floor commercial glazing was redesigned with slim-frame steel profiles. The building entrance was redesigned entirely: a polished concrete lobby with a blackened steel letterbox wall, custom oak bench seating, and a restored original cargo-lift door repurposed as a feature element.
The staircase runs in exposed concrete with blackened steel balustrades and solid oak handrails. Each landing benefits from natural light through a newly installed rooflight above the stairwell.
Project Impact
This building renovation in Poblenou represents a category of project that requires a general contractor with the technical capacity to manage structural works, heritage sensibility, and high-end residential fit-out simultaneously. The result is a building that contributes meaningfully to its neighbourhood, offers long-term residential value, and demonstrates what a complete building conversion can achieve when executed without shortcuts.
