From a former bakery in the 1980s to a single-family home: the renovation of an industrial space in Palma, Spain, offers a solution to unaffordable housing. Located on the ground floor and facing the street of a densely populated neighbourhood, the flat is based on a balance of natural light, usability of space and relationship with the outdoors. 

The project by Auba Studio gave shape to a luminous space that interconnects rooms and merges pre-existing features – exposed pipes, metal ceilings – with modern features and furnishings. The architects demolished the pre-existing partitions and inserted a multifunctional wooden volume into the space, dividing the dwelling longitudinally, distributing the rooms in a new way and in particular separating the living area from the sleeping area. The partition-furniture serves as shelving, cupboard and wardrobe, also housing a double washbasin and two rooms in the sleeping area. 

The spaces open onto a patio through floor-to-ceiling glass windows, which are useful for optimal lighting – large windows are also used on the main side of the dwelling, here covered with slanted metal slats to prevent observation from the outside. 

A wood and glass roof completes the living area, becoming a porch for outdoor shading: an extension that breaks down the boundaries between inside and outside.