Ui Studio transforms vacant Valencia commercial space into residential dwelling

Ui Studio has converted a 130 m² disused commercial ground-floor space in Burjassot, Valencia, into a residential dwelling. The project addresses urban transformation by repurposing vacant storefronts into homes, activating urban fronts with new living forms. Key challenges included ventilation limited to the facade, deep space hindering natural light, privacy concerns from the public street, and regulatory requirements for an attached parking space. The design employs open-plan layouts with main rooms along the facade to maximize light, while service areas cluster at the rear. A 20x20 cm grid organizes the facade, combining glass block pavers for light diffusion with privacy and a metal mesh extending the pattern. The parking space doubles as an access patio, creating a transitional zone between public and domestic realms. Ui Studio, with offices in Madrid and Buenos Aires, applied a resource-optimized approach within a constrained budget, prioritizing contextual sensitivity and spatial quality through simple, well-articulated operations. Photographs were taken by Alba Fuster and Francisco Mañá.