The pro-mental health association “Estel de Llevant” started its dream by purchasing (with a lot of effort) the bottling factory, that once was a forge and a carpentry in Manacor, located in the emblematic street Fábrica de la capital de Llevant. The old building, which was a municipal symbol for industrial heritage, was restored with the aim of turning it into a “health factory”. Thanks to the growth of this association and to the great work it did to improve the health and social integration of individuals with mental health conditions, their old headquarter was too small and outdated.
Therefore, their dream was to restore this space and polish it until it would become what it is nowadays. It was an honour for me to be able to make their dream come true in the form of a project. At the beginning, we encountered an old factory almost ruined, that had suffered a partial collapse of its tower a few weeks before we started to carry out the project.
The starting point, which was respected until the very end of the restoration work, was to respect the bases and the heritage value of the property. That is why we decided to create versatile spaces, that could provide versatility and dynamism to the different spaces to the association, such as day care centre, labour insertion, workshops, families, psychological support, etc. The building includes 3 different backyards arranged in a strategical way, which not only provides daylight but also emphasize the tower, that was recovered during our project.
The materials are austere, and the volume is blunt. The sandstone on the façade has been kept together with the pediment and arches, typical of old industrial constructions of the late 19th century or the beginning of the 20th century. It was an honour to be able to make the dreams of the users of the centre come true by creating this beautiful space which includes the combination of materials such as the OSB board, natural wood, the girders, the wooden rafters, the iron (which was kept) and the restoration of the hydraulic tiles salvaged from the old slabs that had collapsed.