ICONIC ARCHITECTURE: Transformation of the Vapor Cortès - Prodis 1923
Publication date: 02.06.2026
This is a revised translation of the original text by Marta Rodríguez Bosch
Project by HArquitectes. From the industrial to the social.
An architecture committed to reuse and sustainability. With high social value, the project becomes a valuable tool to improve the lives of the community and individuals.
Rehabilitate, reuse, regenerate. The transformation project of the former Vapor Cortès in Terrassa, Barcelona, to house the new facilities of the Prodis foundation - carried out by the HArquitectes studio - embodies one of the key paths embraced by contemporary architecture: working with what already exists, enhancing each of the elements and materials found, promoting an economy of resources, finding the keys to adaptability, within a broad commitment to sustainability.
The project restores the original central street between the two buildings, connecting the organization’s users with the city.
The project intervenes in former factory buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries, combining cultural and social value. It stems from the desire of the Prodis foundation - an organization dedicated to supporting adults with intellectual disabilities, mental disorders, or cerebral palsy - to once again become part of the community and to transform how they are perceived.
Responding to these aims, HArquitectes applies an initial strategy: it restores the original central street between the two industrial buildings, which had over the years been occupied by hybrid constructions. By giving it the status of a public passage, the project reinforces its openness to the city. All circulation and activities of the center are organized from here. “It is a street that emerges from the selective demolition of the roofs, yet continues to evoke its history, present in the walls and transverse beams,” note the architects.
The 12m span of the buildings is covered by original wooden trusses, reinforced by a second interwoven structure.
Inside, HArquitectes links the subdivision of areas within each building’s large longitudinal space with the new structural reinforcements required. While preserving the original trusses, characteristic of the existing construction, they designed an interweaving of old and new structures, generating suspended spatial patterns. From there, they organize the space hierarchically while keeping the floor plan continuous and preserving the sense of scale from the buildings’ former industrial use.
The more enclosed programs are placed in cubicles that act as thickened pillars, supporting the load of the new beams. Through large central skylights, the main spaces are enhanced, framed by the new mixed structural order.
“Light and structure,” say HArquitectes, “establish a strong connection with the environment and, in some way, help us feel part of the world. Experiencing the force of gravity or the changes in the quality of natural light brings us to a more emotional state. We are convinced that this is an institution that needs to rediscover this existential dimension.”
Thermal insulation in the roofing in accordance with current energy requirements, as well as acoustic absorption, natural ventilation, Trombe walls, and solar protection, ensure efficient passive performance. A stepped seating-stair at one end of the building resolves the difference in level between two parts of the city and provides access to complementary spaces on the lower level. Conceived as an amphitheater-agora, it is used for various events and takes on an urban cultural dimension.
HArquitectes preserves the archetypal condition of the industrial building and its imperfections, shaped by the vicissitudes of its history and accumulated memory.
This is, without doubt, an exemplary project that fits within 21st-century iconic architecture - not as an icon in the sense of the impactful imagery of the 20th century, but as an emblem of service to the community and environmental respect. During a visit to El Vapor, the Prodis professional team stated that, according to shared observations, this architecture has changed people’s lives. “The number of episodes and relapses has been reduced by up to 30% since moving into the new building, improving the well-being of the 150 users,” they report.
The project has received several awards over the past year: the XVII BEAU (Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism) Award, the FAD Rehabilitation Award, and the Casa de la Arquitectura Award (Cohesion category). It was also among the seven finalists of the latest edition of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Awards.
All images: © Adrià Goula