Designed by architecture studio lablanca, Llerona is the adaptive reuse of a former garage into an annex guest apartment in the Torre Baró neighborhood of Barcelona. Situated on the slopes of the Collserola mountain range, an area defined by self-built domestic architecture and steep topography, the project adapts an irregular envelope comprising a main trapezoidal volume and an adjoining, elongated double-height volume.
all images ©Simone Marcolin
CONCRETE BLOCK PARTITIONS ORGANIZE SPLIT-VOLUME FLOOR PLAN
The interior distribution by lablanca architectural studio directly responds to two structural conditions embedded in the hillside: a raised concrete foundation block projecting above floor level and an earth-retaining rear wall recess prone to subsurface moisture. A lightweight kitchen module is mounted atop the raised foundation plinth, while the enclosed bathroom occupies the excavated recess, positioning wet programs against the subterranean boundary. This central wet core narrows the circulation path, acting as a spatial threshold dividing the public living area in the trapezoidal volume from the private, top-lit sleeping quarters within the double-height space.
Llerona is a garage-to-apartment conversion designed by lablanca in Barcelona’s Torre Baró district
- RED PORCELAIN TILE AND MASONRY MITIGATE SUBTERRANEAN HUMIDITY
To manage subterranean humidity, partitions and built-in furnishings, including the bed frame, storage units, and bathroom enclosure, are constructed from unrendered, breathable concrete masonry units. Saturated red, small-format porcelain stoneware tiles clad the kitchen plinth and the rear wall recess, articulating the structural interventions while linking the interior palette to the adjacent main residence.
the layout adapts around an existing structural foundation block protruding above the finished slaba lightweight kitchen unit is anchored directly on top of the elevated foundation block
the bathroom is placed within an earth-retaining wall recess excavated into the hillside rock the enclosed bathroom volume acts as a circulation threshold between public and private zones unrendered concrete masonry units form the structural partitions, bed base, and storage benches the red ceramic glaze echoes material accents present in the adjacent primary residencesmall-scale tiling allows seamless cladding over the irregular planar angles of the existing perimeter
the transition between raw gray blockwork and red glazed tiles defines functional zones
project info:
name: Llerona
architect: lablanca | @lablanca_arq
lead architects: Jordi Ribas + Mònica Piqué
location: Torre Baró, Barcelona
photographer: Simone Marcolin | @simoneemarcolin
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edited by: Christina Vergopoulou | designboom
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