exposed concrete blocks and red tiles shape garage-turned-apartment in barcelona

in barcelona’s torre baró district, architecture studio lablanca transforms an irregular hillside garage into a guest apartment using a split-level layout adapted to the collserola topography.

LABLANCA edited by christina vergopoulou November 3, 2026 3 min

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LABLANCA CONVERTS HILLSIDE GARAGE INTO APARTMENT IN TORRE BARÓ

Designed by architecture studio lablanca, Llerona is the adaptive reuse of a former garage into an annex guest apartment in the Torre Baró neighborhood of Barcelona. Situated on the slopes of the Collserola mountain range, an area defined by self-built domestic architecture and steep topography, the project adapts an irregular envelope comprising a main trapezoidal volume and an adjoining, elongated double-height volume.

former garage entrance with red metal gate, redesigned by lablanca — all images ©Simone Marcolin

CONCRETE BLOCK PARTITIONS ORGANIZE SPLIT-VOLUME FLOOR PLAN

The interior distribution by lablanca architectural studio directly responds to two structural conditions embedded in the hillside: a raised concrete foundation block projecting above floor level and an earth-retaining rear wall recess prone to subsurface moisture. A lightweight kitchen module is mounted atop the raised foundation plinth, while the enclosed bathroom occupies the excavated recess, positioning wet programs against the subterranean boundary. This central wet core narrows the circulation path, acting as a spatial threshold dividing the public living area in the trapezoidal volume from the private, top-lit sleeping quarters within the double-height space.

former garage entrance with red metal gate — Llerona is a garage-to-apartment conversion designed by lablanca in Barcelona’s Torre Baró district

RED PORCELAIN TILE AND MASONRY MITIGATE SUBTERRANEAN HUMIDITY

To manage subterranean humidity, partitions and built-in furnishings, including the bed frame, storage units, and bathroom enclosure, are constructed from unrendered, breathable concrete masonry units. Saturated red, small-format porcelain stoneware tiles clad the kitchen plinth and the rear wall recess, articulating the structural interventions while linking the interior palette to the adjacent main residence.

kitchen unit placed on top of the foundation block — the layout adapts around an existing structural foundation block protruding above the finished slab

red-tiles-garage-apartment-barcelona-llerona-lablanca-designboom-1800-2 — a lightweight kitchen unit is anchored directly on top of the elevated foundation block

kitchen material detail — small-format porcelain stoneware tiles clad the kitchen plinth and the rear recessed alcove

sequence of domestic spaces — the bathroom is placed within an earth-retaining wall recess excavated into the hillside rock

bathroom volume as a threshold — the enclosed bathroom volume acts as a circulation threshold between public and private zones

bedroom viewed from the main volume — unrendered concrete masonry units form the structural partitions, bed base, and storage benches

material sequence in the bathroom — the red ceramic glaze echoes material accents present in the adjacent primary residence

red-tiles-garage-apartment-barcelona-llerona-lablanca-designboom-1800-3 — small-scale tiling allows seamless cladding over the irregular planar angles of the existing perimeter

red washbasin nook — the transition between raw gray blockwork and red glazed tiles defines functional zones

material junction at the corner — detail view of the material junction between the concrete masonry, mirror, and red tiles at the corner

detail of the recess in the rear wall — detail view of the junction between the raw concrete masonry units and the red porcelain tile surfaces

project info:

name: Llerona
architect: lablanca | @lablanca_arq

lead architects: Jordi Ribas + Mònica Piqué

location: Torre Baró, Barcelona

photographer: Simone Marcolin | @simoneemarcolin

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LABLANCA CONVERTS HILLSIDE GARAGE INTO APARTMENT IN TORRE BARÓ

CONCRETE BLOCK PARTITIONS ORGANIZE SPLIT-VOLUME FLOOR PLAN

RED PORCELAIN TILE AND MASONRY MITIGATE SUBTERRANEAN HUMIDITY