Pamplona industrial space is transformed into serene private apartment
Spanish architecture studio Arrova transforms an industrial space in Pamplona into a private apartment that is a haven of calm
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

The traditional loft apartment arose out of the transformation of an industrial space into a residential one, bringing a commercial scale and space to the domestic realm. Over the years, the term has been much debased as square footages shrink and oxymoronic terms like ‘new-build lofts’ creep onto the market.
It’s therefore refreshing to find a post-industrial residence that retains all the character of the original space.
Loft A: converted industrial space in Pamplona
Loft A began life as a motorbike repair shop in Pamplona’s Milagrosa district, south of the city centre. Designed by Cristina Vergara and Enrique Rojo of Arrova (Atelier Rojo-Vergara), the project was intended to be a prototype for the area, which has a large number of abandoned and redundant industrial properties. ‘Their transformation would greatly help to revitalise the area,’ the architects write.
Arrova was set up in 2018 and has offices in Pamplona and Zurich. Before that, Rojo studied in Spain, the UK and Switzerland, and worked at the Zurich office of Raumbureau. Vergara also studied in Spain, before working for David Chipperfield Architects in Shanghai and EM2N Architekten in Zurich.
The first job was to strip out all the unnecessary internal elements, opening up the space to its full extent. The reinforced concrete structure is therefore laid bare and forms the bones of the composition, with the angle beams and columns setting up a rhythm within the space.
The newly liberated interior enables light to come in from both ends, with the original entrance turned into a semi-private porch space that provides an arrival sequence, shielding the living space behind a wall of glass and a sheer floor-to-ceiling curtain.
The floorplan is simplicity itself, maximising every available square metre by pushing all the services – kitchen and bathroom – to the edge of the structure. A central plinth, raised six steps above the principal floor level, divides the space.
Step down and you enter a sunken kitchen and study area, with iroko wood counters set beneath the floor slab and glass screens to bring in light. The study is lined with raw shuttered concrete, left unadorned to contrast with the white-painted original frame. The original foundations are also laid bare.
Rojo describes it as a ‘domestic stage pit’, a counterpoint to the theatrical podium for living above it. The slim aluminium-framed staircases that provide access to the podium are also movable, allowing for different configurations. A sleeping area is located to the rear, behind a large wooden screen, with sight lines throughout the whole apartment interior preserved wherever possible.
‘This strategy of undefined spaces is what allows the user to appropriate the space according to their needs,’ say the architects. ‘After all, a loft must be, as its etymology indicates, an open place, a timeless place in which to live and work in a flexible manner.’
INFORMATION
Arrova.eu (opens in new tab)
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
‘A crossover of ideas and emotion’: Simone Rocha on introducing menswear to her label
As the collection arrives at London’s Dover Street Market with a special installation and zine, Simone Rocha speaks about the roots of the menswear offering, the art of collaboration, and a campaign which subverts ‘the archetypes of masculinity’
By Jack Moss • Published
-
Colour Clash is a bold compendium of dazzling supergraphics and logos that pop
Polychromatic perversity in graphic design is celebrated in Colour Clash, a monograph that looks at the new wave of visual expression
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Beacon House is the contemporary rebirth of a midcentury San Francisco home
Beacon House by Edmonds + Lee Architecture is a renovation project that sensitively brings a modernist San Francisco home into the 21st century
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Architecture for animals leads the way at this school for dogs
Details are designed with dogs in mind at Spain’s Educan School for Dogs, Humans and Other Species
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Bold graphics and clever interventions define this Barcelona house redesign
Nestled amongst the Roman archaeological remains and buzzing eateries of the Borne district of Barcelona, BSP 20 is Raul Sanchez Architects' latest residential project
By Martha Elliott • Last updated
-
Girona house’s minimalist drama unfolds behind traditional façade
Casa Pujada del Rey Martí is a new Girona house by Fuses-Viader Architects and Montserrat Nogués Architect in Spain
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
This Costa Brava house makes the most of its rocky site
A new family house in El Port de la Selva, in Spain’s Costa Brava, is designed by architects Marià Castelló and José Antonio Molina
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
This house is raised on concrete pilotis above the Galician landscape
Hórreo House in the Galician town of Vilalba was designed by Javier Sanjurjo with studio Ameneiros Rey, showcasing refreshing simplicity and raised on concrete pilotis
By Jonathan Bell • Last updated
-
This narrow house in Madrid is an ode to minimalism
Casa Galgo by Murado & Elvira Arquitectos is a minimalist, narrow house in a quiet, residential Madrid street
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
Remembering Ricardo Bofill (1939 – 2022)
Ricardo Bofill, the Spanish architect with a penchant for strong colours and bold forms, passed away in Barcelona on 14 January 2022. We look back at his life and work
By Jonathan Bell • Last updated
-
Sabina Estates villa by Tara Bernerd is a finely tuned Ibiza retreat
A Sabina Estates villa by Tara Bernerd & Partners is an Ibiza retreat that balances local and global
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated