Loft A
Arrova | Atelier . Rojo-Vergara
Pamplona, Spain
The transformation of an old motorbike repair shop into a nice residential loft sets the tone for the revitalization of Pamplona’s Milagrosa district
Loft A was intended as a prototype for converting industrial premises in disuse, abounding in this part of Pamplona, into dwellings. The operation settled the existing street level differences while creating a podium for the rest of the building. Th estructural system of pillars, beams, and slabs of concrete opened the facades out to the street and the inner block courtyard, and turned the entrance into a semi-private urban garden that serves both as a filter and as a transition between street and home.
The diffuse light makes the free central space understandable as a large white stage, compressing and shifting the services and the storage zones. Vertical wooden elements hide but mark the kitchen and bathroom while the new structure anchored to preexisting pillars shapes the rest of the space without sacrificing visual continuity. A ‘domestic stage pit’ that appears under the new podium preserves the building’s existing walls freeing the rest of the platforms from the need to serve a specific purpose.