For their latest project, Cadaval & Solà-Morales lead architects Eduardo Cadaval and Clara Solà-Morales turned their attention to a historic structure in their home city of Barcelona. Originally constructed in the late 19th century as a village theater, this structure was later transformed into a barn and then became (of all things) a toilet paper warehouse.
With the building’s latest reimagining as a live-work space, Cadaval & Solà-Morales is paying tribute to its origins, dubbing it “El Teatro” (“The Theater”). Located in the tech innovation district within the downtown Barcelona neighborhood of Poblenou, El Teatro features ample raw exposed brick both inside and out. An open-plan interior living room with vaulted ceilings and exposed wooden beams looks out upon a hammock-festooned exterior courtyard through a towering wall of glass. The building’s most distinctive feature, however, has to be its entryway, which was built to contain a classic car that functions as a welcoming art object.