August 15, 2011 8:14 pm

Factoria Joven or Youth Factory in Merida, Spain, was designed by Madrid-based Selgascano Architects to meet the needs of the youth from the area, a fun place and attractive place to spend the day. The architects were definitely not looking to build a monument to architecture and used recycled furniture, inexpensive building materials and temporary solutions for this project but the final result was quite impressive.

They were more interested in affordable ordinariness and practical possibilities to provide children and youth a place to be kids, to be creative and just have some fun. The “youth factory” attracts the restless kids from the streets and provides them with a place to skateboard, dance, climb rocks, create graffiti, whatever they would otherwise do in much more sinister surroundings.

There’s also a computer lab and a dance studio in this complex, both around 800 square meters in size and there are also meeting rooms, spaces for theatre, video and music as well.