Kulturola Building | JOVINO MARTÍNEZ SIERRA ARQUITECTOS

The industrial complex built in the municipality of Arrasate-Mondragón by the Union Cerrajera, a company founded in 1906 specializing in lock manufacturing, originally consisted of three blocks with ground floors and two stories. The first two were erected in 1931 and were demolished after 68 years to make way for subsequent urban developments. One block served as a locksmith shop, and the other functioned as a warehouse for finished products. The central building, completed in 1939, served as the entrance to the factory and is the sole survivor.

The rehabilitation aimed to contemporarily enhance the values of modern industrial architecture present in the building, such as uniqueness, overall value, connection with the landscape and river, typological representativeness, and construction singularity.
The ground floor passage, the original entrance to the complex, is now integrated into the urban space, creating a significant entrance threshold and serving as a covered activity area. The project restores the original window composition on the facades, using steel frames with minimal sections matching the old layouts. The original skylights on the roof are reinstated to regain the spatiality and zenithal lighting of the upper floors. The historic staircase is preserved, and a new red-colored vertical core — the company's corporate color — is added, reminiscent of the original iron casting activity. The concrete structure with large-section beams on the ceilings is highlighted, leaving the installations visible to maintain the industrial atmosphere and ensuring the original construction's spatial neutrality.

This intervention represents the recovery of a footprint in the territory and landscape, reflecting the history, industry, and society of the municipality and the Basque Country.

Photography: Marcos Morilla

Website: https://marcosmorilla.com/