THIS jaw-dropping house was once a World War One-era concrete factory before an architect spent 45 years turning it into his home.
Ricardo Bofill fell in love with the huge derelict concrete structure, which is near Barcelona, in 1973.
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The building started life as a concrete factoryCredit: Ricardo Bofill
Here's what the factory looked like in 1973 before it was renovatedCredit: Ricardo Bofill
What was once a brutal structure is now dripping with greeneryCredit: Ricardo Bofill
Over the decades Bofill and his team added lush vegetation and turned it from an industrial shell into a unique work of art - La Fabrica.
Bofill said: "Seduced by the contradictions and the ambiguity of the place, we quickly decided to retain the factory, and modifying its original brutality, sculpt it like a work of art.
"Presently I live and work here better than anywhere else. It is for me the only place where I can concentrate and associate ideas in the most abstract manner."
It has been a project in the making for more than four decadesCredit: Ricardo Bofill
Ricardo Bofill Leví is the Spanish architect behind the design and a leader of urban designCredit: Ricardo Bofill
"It is for me the only place where I can concentrate," he saidCredit: Ricardo Bofill
The awe-inspiring property is near BarcelonaCredit: Ricardo Bofill
Gardens are planted throughout the complex immersing the site in greeneryCredit: Ricardo Bofill
The interior is elaborate but retains the bare concrete wallsCredit: Ricardo Bofill
The exterior is covered by grass, eucalyptus, palm, and olive trees and gives the impression that the property has been partially reclaimed by nature.
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Every room is uniquely furnished but he kept the raw concrete walls as a "memory of the structure’s former use".
The silo’s stairs were re-designed and painted, with new skylights that flood the dramatic space with natural lightCredit: Ricardo Bofill
The architect has retained the brutal lines of the buildingCredit: Ricardo Bofill
The kitchen-dining room located in the ground floor is the meeting point for the familyCredit: Ricardo Bofill
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Bofill describes his living room as "domestic, monumental, brutalist and conceptual"Credit: Ricardo Bofill
Each room is uniquely decoratedCredit: Ricardo Bofill
La Fabrica is also a studio for his teamCredit: Ricardo Bofill
Bofill's personal residence began with a process of destruction, demolishing pieces of the structures, then rebuildingCredit: Ricardo Bofill
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The factory lies directly next to Walden 7, in Sant Just Desvern, SpainCredit: Ricardo Bofill
Above the Cathedral lies Ricardo’s residence, green roofs and terracesCredit: Ricardo Bofill
The entire complex was planted with lush gardens to create the effect of an oasis within the industrial areaCredit: Ricardo Bofill
The renovation project, which began in 1973 incorporates various architectural languages - Catalan Civic Gothic style and Surrealist elementsCredit: Ricardo Bofill
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The factory underwent construction that converted the existing structure into a studio, gallery, garden and homeCredit: Ricardo Bofill
Each element is re-envisioned for new use while still retaining its structural styleCredit: Ricardo Bofill
La Fabrica looks stunning when photographed from above
Pictured is the factory when it was first built in the post World War One eraCredit: Ricardo Bofill
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The construction work, which began with partial destruction with dynamite and jack hammers, lasted for more than a year and a halfCredit: Ricardo Bofill
It was a precision job, which consisted in revealing the hidden forms and recovering certain spacesCredit: Ricardo Bofill
The silos were full of cement and it was impossible to penetrate the spaces entirely saturated with dustCredit: Ricardo Bofill
The following phase was the greening and plantingCredit: Ricardo Bofill
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With the valuable help of Catalan craftsmen, the Cement Factory was transformed into what stands todayCredit: Ricardo Bofill
The last phase was its so-called "functionalism" - giving the factory new structures and different usesCredit: Ricardo Bofill
He added: "I have the impression of living in a precinct, in a closed universe which protects me from the outside and everyday life.
"Life goes on here in a continuous sequence, with very little difference between work and leisure.
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"I have the impression of living in the same environment that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia."
As well as acting as his home and offices, the main factory hall has been turned into a conference room.
In January a luxury houseboat converted from a 1930s steel barge went on sale for £3.7 million – making it one of the most expensive houseboats in Britain.
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