Watch: This designer created a secret studio for himself, on the underside of a bridge in Spain
‘Lebrel’, Fernando Abellanas’ pop-up studio, is suspended 16 feet above the ground, hidden from plain sight.
Plumber-turned-designer Fernando Abellanas’ studio, named Lebrel, is hidden in an unassuming little corner of Valencia, Spain. Suspended from the underside of a concrete bridge 16-feet above the ground, to be precise.
While traffic passes overhead, this pop-up studio thrives in its niche, a secret from passers-by.
The studio is a great example of tactical urbanism and guerrilla architecture, as it is Abellana’s answer to the shortage of urban space in Valencia. It is part of a series where he plans to create refuge-like spaces in under-utilised places. The idea behind this specific studio was to create a sort of refuge in a metropolitan environment, as opposed to the idyllic countryside.
He told The Spaces he wanted to evoke the feeling of a child hiding in a fort beneath a table or in a closet. “The feeling kept hidden while still being able to hear and see what happens around us...Observing passing cars and trains with no one seeing me gives me great sense of peace,” he said.
Built of metal and plywood, the structure shown in the video above works like a drawbridge and can be rolled into its position using a hand crank. The studio itself consists of a shelf, a chair and a makeshift table, all of them attached to the concrete wall of the bridge. Frames, a warm solar lamp and a cosy looking foldable bed add a warm, charming look to the space.