MCVR arquitectos revives stone farmhouse into modern co-working office

an aging structure becomes a contemporary workspace

MCVR Arquitectos revives a derelict structure with a contemporary expression, hosting the AA308 co-working office. The project is sited among the scattered 20th century dwellings of Dehesas, a small town in rural Spain, and introduces a modern workspace concept that offers a new style of collective working for an aging population in need of community.

The office at once embraces the traditional vernacular of its context and stands out as a new, modern landmark. This renovation serves as a continuation of the original structure’s layered heritage. Having been constructed originally for agricultural use, the building has since seen two interventions already — one in 1954 and the other in 1976.

images © Adrián Capelo Cruz

the design by mcvr arquitectos

MCVR Arquitectos (see more here) completes its AA308 Co-working office (see more here) to merge ‘vernacular tradition and local modernity.’ The team continues: ‘The operation, in the rural-urban context, resolves its position to the current official alignment, which is not the same as the original. In this way, a plinth is built that regularizes the piece, but that cannot maintain orthogonality with the existing building.

‘On the limit of this plinth rises a warp that generates almost virtual planes, a kind of very light geometric veil, which solidifies or dilutes depending on the foreshortening and which will enable the future development of the office. It must be a support for vegetation, shade, audiovisual media or other elements.’

a co-working office informed by its historic context

MCVR Arquitectos explains the process of restoring the old agricultural building into the AA308 co-working space: ‘The pre-existing house offers an internal and an external face. Inside, it’s all about getting as much space as possible. Some encounters are discovered in the operation that tries to be repaired in a convenient way, while others are provoked that serve the new use.’

‘The interiors rotate around two boxes that articulate the space. The lower one, cold, made of concrete and aluminum, provides light diffusion and reflections. The upper one, warmer, made of pinewood, is suitable for habitat, recreational and meeting uses, which expands to the outside through the glass that looks towards the mountainous landscape of El Bierzo.’

‘On its external face, the building tries to dematerialize its presence through the use of polycarbonate typical of local greenhouses. It is a skin that scales through the sharp, re-existing windows, and is interrupted by the great new ones.

‘The transformation causes a loss of massiveness that is enhanced by the choice of a gray color that links the façade with the sky. The elevations vibrate horizontally, making the glaze resonate with the polycarbonate; as they melt into the sky as they ascend.’