The relationship between architecture and art, where a building is a place in which art lives, can be witnessed in museums and galleries around the world. But what happens when this place is home to both art and people — how do they live together in harmony? In a project that considers the intersection between domesticity and art, Spanish interdisciplinary architecture studio Mesura transformed a former industrial workplace in Barcelona’s Poblenou neighborhood into a handsome residence that doubles as an art gallery.
Poblenou’s close proximity to the Mediterranean made it an ideal area for rapid industrialization in the 18th century. However, its status as the industrial district of Barcelona was diminished in the 1960s and 1970s with subsequent deindustrialization. The availability of vacant factories and warehouses attracted an artistic crowd and Poblenou became Barcelona’s creative hub. It was here that Mesura’s client found an industrial space for their home and art gallery business: Vasto Gallery.
Describing the layout of the interior, Mesura explains: “The flat features a single generous and diaphanous space with windows on three of its walls and an open plan only interrupted by two rows of steel columns.” The ceiling is especially unique and reproduces the construction techniques developed by Catalan architect Joan Torras in the 19th century. A professor of materials at Barcelona’s School of Architecture and a specialist in designing and making metal structures, Torras introduced “beams of equal strength, reinforced by a ceramic core and a distinctive vaulted shape.”
Thanks to its many windows, the apartment enjoys a bright and spacious layout. This informed Mesura’s approach to the interior design: “the project follows the simple premise of reducing the spatial divisions to a minimum,” says the studio. The floor plan is split into private and public areas, divided by a free-standing wooden service core (which houses a walk-in closet, shower, and toilet). The public area acts as both a living room and gallery; in the private area, the bedroom and bathroom co-exist in a light, open space.
“The intervention encompasses two distinct actions,” says Mesura. “One is the restoration and enhancement of the existing qualities of the space through construction work. The other involves the design of site-specific interior elements offering new capacities.” These include an eight-meter-long stainless steel kitchen counter and a long table on the opposite wall, both designed for the living area.
Fitting the eight-meter-long stainless steel kitchen counter:
The bed, bathtub, and sink were made specially for the private space.
Working on-site as part of a residency and collaboration with Vasto Gallery, designer Sara Regal, a specialist in material research and sustainable practices, reused the project’s construction waste to craft a large sculptural coffee table.
In the design of Vasto Gallery, Mesura has played with form and materiality to create a thoughtful and personal reflection of the gallery’s owners: a space in which people and art coexist in domestic bliss.
