Barcelona Beach Bar project I carried out with Heidy Amanda during Winter Semester 2010/2011 at Dessau Institute of Architecture, HS Anhalt in Barcelona Infusion Studio supervised by Matias del Campo and Sandra Manninger. I continue it for my Master Thesis Project.
The aim of the project was to design architectural space not bigger than one of the size of a truck. Project placed in Barcelona considered two research: in comic books and its city representations (that became base for impression of renderings); and in spacial conditions of fruit or seed.
Steve Niles “City of Dust” representational drawing and the one from “The Art of Star Wars” inspired us to search for conditions in which flash of sunlight would play between or with building structures. Important was not only inside space but the one between architectural framework. We ware searching for endless, open spaces.
Research in seeds draws our attention toward Platanus (planes or plane trees. sycamores) fruit. This not bigger than chestnut spherical fruit consist of two layers connected with a net: first is hard male part with strong ornamentation on its outer skin, second is hairy female fruit with more delicate pattern. Net structure precisely follows articulation of male part of fruit. One component is like negative of the second one. Net openings have a variable number of sides (from 4 to7) but what is regular is that every net node has unalterable number of 3 connection strings.
Platanus fruit inspired us to search for regularity in between irregular forms, to build anomalities on porous regular structure. What we ware also interested in was question of double layering and its connections.
In the beginning we started to invest regularities of dodecahedron. As a result we created cell based on 3 pentagonal faces of its geometry (dodecahedron has 12 faces, so in the end 4 designed cells build one prime body). While concentrating on edge conditions we created porous cell structure. By multiplication, addition or subtraction we arrange cell into bigger colonies. Matter of connections and inordinate regularity was still to be answered. Further we explore pattern possibilities and double layering issue.
Final cell design is double layered body consisting of two convex frames connected with slightly curved, tapered in the middle strings.
Barcelona, city located at the seaside, never really looked at its beaches as public space with possibilities for further urban development. Seaside was treated as industrial district where only poor class was living. The reach ones rather occupied surrounding hills. Only lately, after olimpic games, Barcelona’s government realised values of its city’s location. Since than beaches ware cleaned up, fresh sand was delivered and in the nearby buildings new clubs and restaurants ware established. Still this city area needs better infrastructure and provided services. Even though Barcelona beaches become more and more well known especially by tourists citizens keep avoiding them.
Our project, named Barcelona Beach Bar, propose set of structures carrying out such functions as open bar, shower and playground combined with beach chairs and lamps powered by solar panels.
All the elements consist of two types of components - regular ones based on cell design (chair, solar lamp and shower head are build out of the same shapes which can be assemble of 4 elements what foster production faze) and irregular being connectors for the first mentioned.
What is more components can be arranged according to requirements. There can be single bar installed, or bar with shower, or set of only showers etc. Also bar’s roof can be short or longer thanks to interplay adjustment between roof panels.
