The rehabilitation project involved transforming the workshop into a restaurant, taking advantage of its last commercial licence as a tavern. The existing upper floor was extended, creating a covered outdoor terrace area and a toilet and service area. The ground floor houses the kitchen and a lounge that opens directly onto the outside.

The large openings on the upper floor without casements frame fragments of the façades of the buildings surrounding the covered terrace.

The proposed program is simple: to build a family cellar, a space for enjoyment where friends can gather to dine and taste fine wines. To achieve this, the program aims to support the main house while also creating two generous spaces for celebration. These spaces are complemented by a series of auxiliary uses that help define the urban edge. The bathroom, kitchen, storage room, and entrance threshold consolidate the urban front. On the other hand, various grilling areas, an outdoor porch, and a resting space configure the side facing the backyard.

At the same time, the project delves into the memory of this typology of constructions in the Oja Valley, particularly in Bañares, recognizing some fundamental values for the configuration and construction of the project, which are outlined below:

The constructive typology of warehouses, drying rooms, or family cellars is always executed in brick or adobe, achieving an optimal relationship between their compact form and the material used.

Use of a regional construction technique, the “aparejo americano.” This solves the composition of a cavity wall of 35 cm, placing two rows of crossed headers (one resting on the other) and four continuous stretchers, forming a complex bond.
Compact floor plan with few openings to the exterior and shaded spaces at the center.
Presence of a central fireplace for heating and meeting thermal demands.

Wooden roof structures supported by continuous load-bearing walls. A scissor truss configuration is used, recovering the specific knowledge of the valley. Structures are based on the physical limits of locally available wood, approximately 5 meters in length.
Once these aspects are understood, the project proposes a purely material approach. Everything built is structure. From the foundation to the top of the wall, clay is used as the construction material. The brick and its rules dictate the space. The space is interwoven, creating an architecture of boundaries and thresholds. An architecture perceived in fragments, in discontinuity. This approach allows the use of a common brick (acoustic brick db10 from Cerámica Sampedro in Lardero) and elevates its dignity as a construction material. Ultimately, the projected architecture seeks to explore how one inhabits the interior of clay matter.

Additionally, all available resources are utilized. For the roof configuration, laminated pine wood from Soria is used, with a section of 10×20 centimeters and an intermediate scissor truss of the same dimensions. This roof structure creates a sort of latticed space, allowing discontinuous light entry from the west. Finally, the flooring uses two materials produced in the region. Handmade bricks from the Alberite brickyards are used to configure thresholds where the wall structure has been removed, highlighting their load-bearing capacity. Terrazo, produced in Alfaro, provides a cool flooring solution for the long Riojan summers.

The cellar in Bañares is a relational architecture that, by connecting with the roots of the village and the valley in which it is situated, utilizes all available knowledge to create a place deeply rooted in local memory. In short, an architecture that weaves together memory, perception, and experience.

Text provided by the architects.

We have separated the functional units on the ground floor with covered passageways in-between. The main path of the vineyard passes through the largest of these. This large covered space serves as an open, public reception area, where paths, linking up all the important parts of the winery, intersect. This area accesses the Barrique cellar, the degustation room, the offices and roof terraces, the cellar man’s rooms, and the huge doors to the tank room. Guests are received in the degustation room to taste the wine. A glass wall provides a view of the entire cellar filled with wooden vats. The last unit, the storeroom, where the cases of wine are stored, lies to the south.

The climate in Napa Valley is extreme: very hot by day, very cold at night. We wanted to design a structure that would be able to take advantage of these conditions. In the United States air conditioning is automatically installed to maintain even room temperatures. Architectural strategies which activate the walls in order to regulate the temperatures are unknown.

In front of the façades, we placed gabions, a device used in river engineering, that is, wire containers filled with stones. Added to the walls, they form an inert mass that insulates the rooms against heat by day and cold at night. We chose local basalt that ranges from dark green to black and blends in beautifully with the landscape. The gabions are filled more or less densely as needed so that parts of the walls are very impenetrable while others allow the passage of light: natural light comes into the rooms during the day and artificial light seeps through the stones at night. You could describe our use of the gabions as kind of stone wickerwork with varying degrees of transparency, more like skin than like traditional masonry.

We built a first mock-up to scale in Basel to test the quality of varying transparencies as well as the technical feasibility of the structure. A second mock-up was built at full height of nine meters on the site in Yountville. These full-scale tests were necessary in order to become familiar with this new architectural element even if it is nothing but a wall of stones.

Text provided by the architects.

Drawing inspiration from the comfort of traditional suburban Mexican houses, the dining space aims to create a domestic and comfortable setting filled with natural light and vegetation to create a garden oasis inside. The space becomes an urban greenhouse in both shape and materiality.

The open-plan layout encourages free circulation and links the dining area to a rear terrace, ensuring cross-ventilation and a seamless connection with the outdoors. This versatility aligns with the client’s vision, as the restaurant offering also features a cultural programme of exhibitions and live music performances.

The walls are made from brick in different treatments, and assembled using local crafting techniques to provide texture and dimension to the otherwise muted atmosphere.

The earthy tones of the brick contrast with the exposed steel structure, finished in ochre hues. A striking geometric planter bridges the indoor and outdoor spaces, enhancing the venue’s connection with nature.

The furnishings, crafted from wood and steel, mirror the materials used throughout the space, reinforcing a cohesive aesthetic.
Plumbago celebrates culinary artistry and cultural expression, offering an elegant and approachable environment in the heart of Mexico City.

Text provided by the architects.

To create a natural texture in the building, materials such as washed stone, gravel concrete, granite cubes, textured paint and marine plywood are juxtaposed to infuse the building with life and a natural vibe.
Rough washed stone is used for the indoor bar counter, seating, and flooring, creating a simple, natural aesthetic. The gravel concrete flooring and gray washed walls complement each other, enhancing the outdoor feel of the space. The rough textures provide a non-slip surface for pets, while also offering the durability and stain resistance akin to outdoor natural materials. The retail display walls and movable furniture system are constructed using a collage of marine plywood panels, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that complements the wooden ceiling. The clever selection of these materials, along with their natural weathering over time, will further enhance the building’s texture.

The design team incorporated a pet-friendly ramp as a visual symbol, integrating it with the architectural space’s functionality to create a memorable brand identity. The graphic elements, designed with a three-dimension feel and a sense of volume, further articulate the space’s iconic and fun identity. Various super visual symbols, crafted by the graphic design, seamlessly echo the concept of a shared space between people and pets. The three-dimensional visual design enriches the formal language in this community space. Blending functionality and symbolism, these symbols contribute to a more diverse and multi-dimensional brand image. The brand’s visual identity is further strengthened by using pet-sensitive colors, such as blue and yellow, which convey a lighthearted and fashionable vibe through the interplay of lines and planes. Combining brand symbols with space functionality, the design team crafted a series of branding materials, signage, graphics, and installations. A pet map at the entrance helps visitors better understand the spatial functions, while the door handle and business hours information are cleverly arranged to create an engaging three-dimensional graphic. This comprehensive brand design enhances the space with a stronger and more cohesive brand identity.

By cleverly utilizing the building’s height, the design team creates a two-story space that ensures brightness and transparency while diversifying the spatial functions. The overall layout is composed of three sections: the cafe at the entrance, the activity area in the middle, and the functional area at the back. This maintains the relative independence of each functional space, and also ensures an orderly circulation.

The cafe at the entrance is conceived as a landscaped courtyard, creating a continuous corridor that breaks the boundary between interior and exterior. A semi-enclosed landscape entrance is formed around a big tree, with the entire area wrapped in washed stones. These natural textures continually awaken the vitality in pets, bringing fresh energy into the space.

The middle activity area retains the original spatial structure, with a ramp connecting the pet activity areas on the first and second floors, forming a natural hillside that seamlessly integrates with the entrance corridor. The park-style bench seating arrangement maximizes space for pet activities. Natural light filters through the building interior from morning to dusk, creating a dynamic play of light and shadow throughout the day.

The functional area at the back consists of several stacked boxes. The first level accommodates the pet hotel and grooming rooms, with capacitive glass partitions that can be flexibly adjusted to display the grooming room’s work status as needed. The second level features office spaces and a pet photography studio, with the offices offering a panoramic view of the entire space for improved communication and management.

The furniture details within the space are thoughtfully crafted to provide a sense of security for pets visiting for the first time. Space is intentionally left under the seating areas to give small animals a safe spot to settle in and ease their anxiety in an unfamiliar environment. The suspended design beneath the movable central bench minimizes obstacles during play, allowing pets the freedom to run or rest.

Fixed small round tables, designed with the function of anchoring dog leashes, free pet owners’ hands, enabling them to chat and enjoy food at ease. The wall features pegboards, which serve both as retail displays and decorative elements. The space’s flexibility is further enhanced by fully movable furniture, allowing for easy reconfiguration to suit different pet-themed needs.

Text provided by the architects.

The central part of the Jingyang Camphor Court consists of a wooden cloister encircling the lush camphor trees, which establishes a unique atmosphere at the core of the complex. All new hotel programs such as verandas, guest rooms, conference spaces, and restaurants are arranged around and connected to this central cloister. site limitations, no other large public spaces other than the cloister could be created. The distances between the walls of the different volumes are very narrow, akin to the narrow width between the exterior walls of local vernacular buildings. By putting all buildings in close proximity to each other, an intimate, personal, and nostalgic atmosphere is created, with guests able to discover the different material tonalities arranged along a path, like wandering through a maze.

The hotel’s western area features a new courtyard-type building with the three buildings’ gable walls advancing and retreating to form small public plazas in front of them. From the exterior, these buildings’ subtle setback from the existing straight street draws the guests and public in. The entrance is located on the east of the site and has a deliberately low and unassuming profile, in accordance with the presence of trees and folded canopies. The subtle and human-oriented scale creates an intimate and welcoming atmosphere upon arrival. The hotel rooms are located in the old dormitory space, north of the central courtyard. Its walls were kept, while a new structure penetrates and juts out of the existing volume. Each hotel room has a balcony that faces the interior courtyard and the promenade spaces between the buildings.

The new restaurant is located in the former factory structure in the southern part of the site. The original side walls of this industrial relic were kept and thermal and sound insulation were added. Besides overall structural reinforcements, a new metal roof structure was added to increase the buildings’ safety. The ceiling height was also increased, and new skylights were introduced, creating a more pleasant and contemporary spatial atmosphere for guests while also paying homage to the site’s industrial past.

The bricks of the original structures had a red and orange hue. We wanted to honor this palette when opting for the tonality of the new buildings. Throughout the hotel, we used warm-colored concrete and a thin layer of tiles with a similar gradient. The external walls of the old and new volumes are a mix of kiln and old clay bricks and between the old and the new bricks, a warm-colored concrete is cast in place to create a harmonious transition between the preserved elements and those newly added. Their materiality, color, and texture are closely related to the history of porcelain production in Jingdezhen.

The Jingyang Camphor Court creates a new type of hotel experience with a publicly accessible courtyard that is as large as possible. Next to creating a tranquil and natural environment, the strategy of preservation, renovation, and revitalization of an existing warehouse was central for the arrangement and massing of new programs and creating a new and inviting atmosphere and future for this hotel.

Text provided by the architects.

The brief was to create a space that could act as both a home and a working artist’s studio for the clients, artist Gudrun Kristjansdottir, who has exhibited work across the globe over the past twenty years, and her husband Ævar Kristjánsson, a well-known Icelandic broadcaster. Finding the right balance between workspace and family home was key. The space needed to be neutral enough to exhibit artwork but also a welcoming family home and a place to entertain guests. The client’s work focuses on nature, using natural elements and forms to transform them into an abstract whole. For her, converting the barn was a similar process. The renovation has been conceived and built as a piece of art. Incorporating the natural environment surrounding the house was also important to the client, who considers it a ‘living kitchen’ filled with edible seaweed, medicinal herbs and fish.

Studio Bua were determined to keep as much of the existing concrete structure as possible to preserve the barn’s unique character and make use of the fit-for-purpose elements. The main part of the existing structure was built from thick and sturdy mass concrete with a corrugated steel roof. The quality of the existing concrete has been retained externally, with unique lichen growth and local pebble aggregate creating the illusion that the barn is growing from the earth. A lean-to addition, which was missing its roof and in a complete state of ruin, has been left untouched and forms a sheltered courtyard. The beautifully ruined, foundation-free perimeter walls have been retained, enclosing a new walled garden where flowers, vegetables and herbs can be grown.

With no existing floor slab, the first step was to stabilise the original structure and line the barn floor with a reinforced concrete raft. The local landscape has been incorporated into the design where possible, with pebbles and volcanic sand from the beach used to fill holes in the existing structure and cover the mastic surrounding the windows. A lightweight, two-storey timber structure was inserted into the existing space. The new timber volume is clad in corrugated industrial Aluzinc, which embodies the lightness of the inserted volume. Aluzinc is one of the few materials able to withstand the site’s harsh environment and extreme weather. The corrugation references local building tradition and reflects the colour of the sky and surrounding meadow, changing with the seasons and weather. The cladding, roofing, flashing and downpipes were all locally produced.

The ground-floor has been conceived as a robust workspace containing an artist’s studio, kitchen and dining space. The small but efficient plan accommodates a double-height space at each end. To avoid compromising the unreinforced existing structure, only two new openings have been added to the ground floor. One allows light to enter the kitchen and the other acts as a separate entrance to the studio to accommodate large artworks. The existing and new openings have been diamond cut to give a smoothness that contrasts the rough external finishes and reveals, in section, the colour and texture of the irregular aggregate. Light was integral to the scheme, especially in the double-height studio which looks out onto the fjord. A roof light gives north light and ventilation in the studio while large windows provide daylight to the home. A key challenge was to frame and capture views from the expansive landscape and relate them to the scale of the domestic interior. LED lighting has been used throughout to ensure that areas with less natural light are well-lit and all the spaces stay bright during the dark winter, with special attention given to the task lighting in the artist’s studio. Despite the extreme conditions, the house is very efficient and sustainable. A ground source heat pump was installed, along with low-temperature underfloor heating and triple glazing on all the windows.

Simplicity is at the heart of the modern interior design scheme. The detailed but calm interior has been kept neutral to ensure that it does not distract from the artwork on display. The material palette was inspired by the colours found in the surrounding nature. The neighbouring meadows turn from yellow after winter, to green in spring, and purple in late summer. There is a sophistication and control in the interior that contrasts vastly with the wild outdoors. The floors on the ground floor use polished concrete, while stained birch plywood has been used for the walls. Other bespoke fixed furniture has been built from hand-stained plywood. Studio Bua worked in collaboration with the client, who has previous artistic experience with staining, to experiment with various pigments and stains before settling on which to use. The kitchen uses a combination of bespoke steel and hand-stained plywood. At the bottom of the staircase, concrete was cast in-situ with stones from the local beach. To achieve a minimal aesthetic and minimise clutter, Studio Bua designed a storage space for the studio and plenty of wardrobes and other storage solutions throughout the house.

The first-floor is a domestic sphere containing the private areas of the house. For these, a subdued material palette inspired by local vernacular interiors has been maintained. Walls and floors are lined in white-stained pine boards. A plywood staircase leads from the ground floor dining space to a mezzanine sitting room that overlooks a double-height space. A new opening has been added for daylight and stunning views out onto the beach and the fjord beyond. The large existing opening on the end facade, which was originally used to get hay into the barn, has been fully glazed. At the top of the staircase, a hallway leading to the private bedrooms and bathroom opens onto a view of the studio from above, offering a different perspective to the emerging artworks below. A pair of picture windows, placed on the axis of the first-floor hallway, frame views along the coast and towards the mountains. A bespoke stained-plywood wardrobe was built in the master bedroom. The bathroom uses a palette of sky-blue and earthy red with chequered pale grey and white porcelain tiles.

Windows throughout the house use robust plywood internal reveals which double as display shelves and a bench in the sitting room. The first-floor handrails and the fin balustrades in the double-height spaces are cut from the same plywood, making use of offcuts from the interior wall panelling. Given the remote location, and for economic and environmental reasons, waste has been minimised where possible. All interior room doors were reclaimed from the Reykjavik city recycling centre. A woollen curtain from the clients’ previous 1960s family business inventory has been used as a room-partition in the atelier. Outside seating and patio table legs have been created from the concrete that was discarded when new openings created.

Text provided by the architects.