Al Punto Restaurant / Estudio Mariano Martin

Architects: Estudio Mariano Martin
Area: 340 m²
Year: 2012
Manufacturers: Porcelanosa Grupo

Curated by ArchDaily

Text description provided by the architects. The area called “Parque del Conde de Orgaz” is one of the most privileged places of Madrid, where vegetation hides houses... therefore a restaurant in this location should be something like "EATING IN A PARK".

The project aims to remove the barriers between inside and outside by means of a WICKER used as a garden enclosure that receives us and surrounds us. Thus interior, terrace and pedestrian street create a single space, being closed to the noise and opened for the garden...

What exists is left to its own scale of facilities, all painted in plain black, to introduce materials at the scale of people, so people, step by step, get conscious about the different senses: the “smell” for the garden, the “view” for a wicker made gold with light, the “touch” for everything that is within our reach (natural silk tablecloths, oak chairs...) and, finally, the most important in a restaurant, TASTE.

Of course, the “hearing” we leave it for a good conversation...

Building
Wicker, as main focus material for outside and inside, is used as a double layer system suspended of three horizontal lines of steel plate. The lower situated 20cm from the floor, to facilitate the cleaning of the same, the intermediate, 90cm height, hides a double line of LED that emphasizes the lighting on the table, producing ember effect, and the top one at 2,40m. Among the three of them we will hang the wicker with simple wires...

Outdoor, the structure of the existing handrails will serve to support the wicker, with the same system and lighting used indoor. This existing structure will also serve to support a big letters of steel plate with the name “Al Punto”, like the sing facade...

At pedestrian facade, wicker disappears leaving his place to bamboo plants as a filter between the pedestrian street and the terrace. Here, a wooden floor IPE introduce us to our local, while outside and inside separated by a glass facade floor to ceiling. A single pivot door (1,50x2,80 m) made of black synthetic Krion and vertical handle of solid wood stain black with the name of the restaurant made in low relief, invites us to enter.

Inside, the lighting is solved by suspended lamps at different heights; the model of the lamp is Cirio of Santa&Cole, in gold foil and a few with translucent ceramic. Light from wicker combined with suspended lamps and tables candles , creates an intimate atmosphere. The light from these suspended lamps are reflected in the glass facade producing an effect of ambiguity between the exterior and interior.

The barcounter is solved in its lower part with the same material of the main door and at the top with solid oak, while the bottle rack is made with square iron tube black lacquered with shelves in black Krion.

The climate control system is solved by galvanized steel ducts painted in black and suspended from the existing framework with the same treatment.

The bathrooms are made of DMF boards dyed in black and varnished, with sanitary toilets in graphite color of the “Element collection”, designed by David Chipperfield to “Roca”.

For the outdoor furniture “Chair Ara”, designed by Jorge Pensi to “Pedralli” and inside “Sign Chair”, designed by Daniele Lo Scalzo also to “Pedralli”.