Excerpt: Fuego Camina Conmigo is an architectural design project designed by Isern Serra in Spain. The project consists of the refurbishment of an office on the third floor of a building located in the industrial neighborhood of Gracia, Barcelona. A space with a rectangular form, filled with details and original architectural elements and windows on three facades.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] A space with the intention to be open to the city, to organize events and presentation that at the same time is the new showroom for SANCAL in Barcelona. Space that marks the DNA of the company, that surprises and doesn’t leave you indifferent and always looks for the value added to creativity. A dynamic and multipurpose space, where the architecture and the geometric forms take center stage. That evoke a playful atmosphere, and emphasizes art and creativity.
Fuego Camina Conmigo is a strategic and creative advertising agency, who were looking to open their new headquarters as a way to materialize their values into a space. The project consists of the refurbishment of a office on the third floor of a building located in the industrial neighborhood of Gracia, Barcelona. A space with a rectangular form, filled with details and original architectural elements and windows on three facades.
The brief consisted of a zone for the meeting rooms and service spaces, like kitchen, bathrooms and storage. The agora zone, that seeks a specific dynamism to be used as a space to hold informal meetings and calls, that at the same time can be used for presentation and temporary exhibitions. And finally, a permanent work zone that can accommodate 44 people.
Therefore, the division of the space was decided respective to the entrance. The more private areas are located towards the back of the office, to offer more protection. The agora zone in the center, to serve as a plaza. The functional service spaces, towards the front near the entrance, as an architectural protector for the interior. The goal for the design was to create an open and dynamic space, steering away from the typical glass enclosures, found in the office design world.
Hence the closed spaces were conceived in the form of micro architecture that interact with one another and create a sculptural passage. With circular openings generating doors and windows, allowing the light to circulate and evoke a world of art and creation. Each module was thought off as a small sculpture, which at the same time is compositionally related to the other rooms. The first decision was to clean the space of an existing separation, to the recover the original structure and hence reveal the true volume of the space. The need for a differentiated space and the rectangular form of the architecture allowed us to easily divide the space into three sections.
The first zone upon entering is composed of storage, bathrooms and meeting rooms. The concept of micro architecture of the space is materialized here. Each room has a distinct height, length and width, emphasizing the sculptural concept.
There are five different meeting rooms. One big to accommodate 12 people, that runs along the façade of the space. And the other four, more private rooms, located next it. The openings and windows of each room are thought out to optimize the amount of light that enters. When looked at as an entity, the rooms offer a unique perspective of the space, creating a dynamic intervention. The different heights, emphasize not only the height of the architecture, but also make visible the existing unique metallic beams. The furniture of each room is chosen carefully with the Spanish furniture brand SANCAL. With a neutral color pallet that complements the space, environment and the client.
The same area on the left are a series of spaces used to make “fast calls”. Where the intervention between the architectural forms and the lighting design, has an intention to evoke an artistically illuminated space inspired by James Turell. The kitchen is also a multipurpose space, with a capacity for 30 people, that at the same time can be used as a training room. With three large custom tables, made by “Fusteria Vidal”, with rounded edged on the base of the table.
The stool seating in the space, is a another SANCAL piece. With a matte black structural base, and a natural wood seat, to complement the space. A space fully equipped, for relaxation, that can also be converted into an impromptu meeting room. The entrance of the kitchen is marked by large circular opening, with the glass sliding doors. The color pallet is kept white like the rest of the space. Including the white tiled countertops, and the finished of the cupboards. With a curved detailed handle that mirrors the architectural curves in the rest of the space.
The architecture of the kitchen is detailed with more openings, at the base of the walls or next to the existing windows of the space, to continue the game to the increase the amount of light that enters the space. Creating small windows that from the exterior frame the details of the interior.
The agora is by far the most multipurpose space of the project. Two big metallic, mobile steps structure the space. Small islands are generated in the space, through the use of colored circular carpets that bring together sofas, table and other furniture from SANCAL. To hold improvised meetings. Each island is treated with a distinct color pallet, and fabrics chosen for each carpet match the assigned tones.
The last space is the most private, with four large custom-made tables by “fusteria vidal”. Each table with a capacity for 11 people. The table continues the sculptural concept of the space. Composed of the White top, with a circular detail on the extremes of the tables, supported by blocks of glass.
The illumination of the project is realized in collaboration with Leds C4. From the embedded focus lights in the closed rooms, to the tracked spot lights in the Agora. And the illumination above the private work tables realized through the model TUBS designed by Nahtrang Studio. The furniture chosen with SANCAL are Remnant, Vestige, Dividuals, Diwan, Totem, Click and Roll. Including the other singular products like Tortuga, Magnum, Nido, Silla40, Vesper, Pion or Tab.
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