Structural roof refurbishment of our headquarters — Gorka Lomeña

This project has a particular significance for us. It concerns the building that is now home to our headquarters, a property with a long history that we have progressively restored and improved over the years.

While we were still renting the offices, we already knew that the roof would eventually require major intervention. The condition of certain timber elements was clearly concerning and it was evident that deeper structural work would be necessary sooner or later.

The difficulty was the property’s planning status, which considerably restricted the scope of permitted works. For a long period, only minor maintenance and improvement works were allowed, while more extensive intervention on the timber structure was not authorised.

However, the visible condition of the roof made it clear that retaining some of the existing elements could not be considered a sensible long-term solution.

We subsequently had the opportunity to purchase the offices and take direct responsibility for refurbishing the building.

What was initially expected to remain a limited roof intervention eventually became a much more complex project, because the true condition of the structure required substantially more than simply replacing the tiles.

The works began with the removal of the existing roof covering so that the actual condition of the structure could be properly inspected.

The inspection confirmed significant deterioration in various timber elements, including areas affected by moisture and long-term decay, requiring a considerably deeper intervention than originally anticipated.

Deteriorated elements were repaired, replaced or reinforced according to their condition, with a clear principle: retain what could genuinely be preserved and renew anything that no longer provided acceptable levels of safety and durability.

The roof assembly was subsequently rebuilt, incorporating the different layers required to provide proper protection from water and weather exposure, before completing the works with a new black tile covering.

The original building had an integrated rainwater drainage system similar to a chéneau, built into the roof itself. During the refurbishment, we decided to replace this with conventional external gutters, providing a simpler solution for future inspection and maintenance.

At the time, PVC gutters were installed. This was a reasonable decision based on the budget and resources available to us at that stage. With the experience we have today, we would probably specify zinc gutters instead, as their greater durability and quality generally justify the additional cost.

That evolution is also part of our approach to construction: every project provides experience, and every experience improves the next decision.

This was a technically demanding project, but above all an important experience in management and learning.

From the beginning, we knew that certain parts of the roof required substantial renewal, yet for a long period the administrative restrictions allowed only very limited interventions.

Once the roof was opened and the true condition of the structure could be clearly assessed, that technical reality had to be reconciled with permissions that had originally been far more restrictive.

The process involved extensive documentation, technical justification, coordination between the different parties and a temporary stoppage of the works during winter.

Even though this was our own building, we applied exactly the same principle we defend on our clients’ projects: when the reality of a building shows that the proposed solution is no longer sufficient, the right response is to analyse it, justify it and find the correct technical solution rather than simply continue as though the problem did not exist.

Particular attention was also given to safety, protection of the building and the correct organisation of work at height.

It was a difficult project, but also one of those experiences that helps shape a company. It taught us patience, the importance of defending technically necessary solutions and the value of continuing until the right result is achieved.

We ultimately succeeded in fully refurbishing the roof, resolving the existing structural problems and giving the building a safe, weather-resistant and durable solution.

The new black tile roof also transformed the external appearance of the building and helped establish the black, white and grey visual identity that now characterises our headquarters.

Over the following years, we continued investing in the property, subsequently acquired the first floor and have progressively refurbished other areas of the building.

For that reason, this project represents much more than a roof to us. It forms part of Gorka Lomeña’s history and the evolution of our own home.

As an interesting detail, the administrative complexity of the project was such that the costs associated with technical studies, architectural work and permissions exceeded the direct cost of some of the principal construction materials, including the timber and tiles themselves.

It is a good example of something years of refurbishment work have taught us: the difficulty of a construction project is not always in building it; sometimes it lies in everything that has to be resolved before it can be built properly.