Olaran

Second prize in the competition for the rehabilitation of the Olaran Building in the Ezkiaga neighbourhood of Beasain. Competition proposal developed in collaboration with Ezequiel Collantes Gabella and Beste Arkitektura.

The rehabilitation project for the Olaran industrial complex begins with the recognition of the heritage value of the intervention carried out by architect Mocoroa, a work that successfully transformed the former factory by endowing it with a distinct identity through emblematic elements such as the clock tower, the corporate sign, and a series of less visible yet equally significant spatial operations, including the introduction of courtyards and openings within the floor slabs. The proposal takes these lessons as its starting point and avoids competing with the existing building through new forms or extensions that could compromise its character. The aim is to recover the building’s volumetric clarity, remove discordant interventions accumulated over time, and highlight both its most representative architectural features and those linked to the industrial memory of the former Manufacturas Olaran.

At the urban scale, the project understands Olaran as a strategic opportunity to complete Beasain’s network of covered public spaces and reinforce the central role of the Ezkiaga neighbourhood. Analysis of the town’s urban relationships reveals that the growth of its main public spaces has historically occurred towards the south, while Ezkiaga has had fewer community infrastructures. The building is therefore conceived as a new facility complementary to existing amenities, capable of serving both the neighbourhood and the municipality as a whole. To strengthen this role, the proposal introduces a new accessible route connecting the Oria riverside promenade with the areas behind the neighbourhood, incorporating vertical connections that provide access to the facility, the river walk, and the building’s roof. This initial intervention lays the groundwork for future transversal connections and the progressive improvement of the urban network.

The new functional organisation is developed through a reinterpretation of Mocoroa’s courtyard strategy. New openings in the floor slabs strengthen visual relationships between levels, improve the penetration of natural light, and generate a spatial sequence that crosses the building diagonally, linking its most public spaces with its more private areas. This operation allows the building to accommodate new residential and office uses while ensuring compliance with both habitability standards and heritage protection requirements. The project preserves the main façade unchanged and addresses ventilation and daylighting requirements through the introduction of new internal courtyards and atria, demonstrating that the original spatial strategies remain highly relevant in addressing contemporary needs.

The proposal is based on principles of minimal intervention, energy efficiency, and environmental impact reduction. Most of the existing structure is retained, with reinforcement only where necessary to address issues related to carbonation, stability, and structural safety. The selected materials prioritise reuse, circularity, and the reduction of embodied carbon through the use of timber, cork, compacted earth, recycled aggregates, and cement-free finishes. Energy demand is drastically reduced through passive design strategies based on bioclimatic intermediate spaces, cross ventilation, solar protection, increased thermal mass, and intelligent atrium management. Photovoltaic energy generation on the roof offsets the remaining demand, moving the building towards a net-zero-emissions future.