HALO

Halo is a project aimed at revitalizing an industrial space within Madrid’s urban fabric. It is part of the “Elements for Industrial Recovery” series, which seeks to protect the city’s industrial heritage by introducing adaptive use strategies that extend the lifespan of these structures and prevent their demolition.

Over the past three decades, industrial activity in central Madrid has steadily diminished, reaching a point where it has virtually disappeared. This decline mirrors patterns seen in other urban centers: environmental regulations on noise and emissions, coupled with rising land values, have driven industrial uses to the city’s outskirts. As a result, urban industrial buildings have become obsolete—too large for local commerce, too costly for industry, too constrained by regulations for recreational use, and financially unappealing to younger generations inheriting family businesses. These buildings now stand unused.
Most of these industrial spaces are located on the ground floors of residential buildings, extending beyond the building’s footprint into interior courtyards. In a cityscape now dominated by residential and commercial uses, these large-volume spaces are no longer needed. Urban planning policies prioritize reclaiming these courtyards, often through the demolition of industrial structures, supported by zoning changes that convert industrial properties into residential use. The most drastic transformation involves limiting the depth of new construction, making residential redevelopment of these industrial buildings unfeasible unless they are partially demolished. The financial incentive for these changes lies in the real estate market, where land values can triple or quadruple when converted into residential properties—largely driven by Madrid’s inflated rental market.
The key to preserving these spaces lies in hybrid uses. These industrial buildings cannot be understood rigidly; they require a more fluid approach to occupancy that takes advantage of their spatial qualities while balancing the costs of adaptation. “Elements for Industrial Recovery” explores urban and architectural tools to retain these structures in a context that otherwise incentivizes their disappearance.

Halo was an industrial space left unused for nearly 20 years. Originally, it occupied the entire ground floor of the building it belongs to. However, following its acquisition by SAREB—a financial institution created by the Spanish government in the aftermath of the 2008 banking crisis to manage and liquidate distressed real estate assets—it was subdivided into smaller units to facilitate their sale. The largest section, occupying the inner courtyard area, remained unsold due to its size and has been closed and on the market for over a decade. Designed as an industrial warehouse, the space lacked any form of natural lighting. Its vast and deep interior, with a ceiling height of six meters, was roofed with asbestos cement sheets.

The intervention consists of a series of small, targeted actions—patches and repairs—to bring the space back to life. The original spatial structure remains largely untouched, with only the removal of interior constructions added after the initial open-plan design. The main modification is the addition of a courtyard at the junction of the two wings of the floor plan, ensuring natural light reaches the entire space. This courtyard is bordered by a new interior façade that allows access to the patio from below while letting sunlight enter from above. The upper edge of the wall features a semicircular opening that rises above the height of the party wall, maximizing sunlight entry. Both metaphorically and physically, the sun becomes part of the space. A symbolic semicircle, associated with the rising or setting sun, shapes a large south-facing oculus, enabling a direct ray of sunlight to penetrate the interior—a «half-sun» tracing its path across the space throughout the day.

Halo is conceived as a versatile container capable of accommodating a wide range of activities, the primary one being the studio of artist Esther Merinero.

Halo was awarded with a Honorable Mention in the 2024 COAM Awards.

Halo was designed and built by BURR (E.Fuertes, R.Martínez, A.Molins, J.Sobejano) in Madrid in 2022. Amanda Bouzada and Jesús Meseguer were part of the team. 

The outcome was photographed by Maru Serrano.