This project by Álvaro Santamaría, a student on the CICE BIM Manager Master’s degree course in Project Management and Production, brings culture and design together in the same space.
The designer has chosen the PORCELANOSA Group’s most natural collections to enhance the sense of a literary refuge, in which light plays a key role.
Bookshops and small leisure outlets have increased the range of goods and services they offer to reflect changing demand in the sector. New consumption, production and distribution patterns have resulted in the development of multifunctional spaces where customers pass the time with books, coffee and exhibitions. This concept of “tempus non fugit” forms the inspiration for SZ, not just a bookstore, a project based around culture.
Designed by Álvaro Santamaría, a student on the BIM Manager Master’s degree course in Project Management and Production at CICE in Madrid, this store brings design, literature and innovation together in the same architectural structure.
This concept has been developed using the PORCELANOSA Group’s most natural materials, resulting in it being shortlisted for the Twelfth Porcelanosa Awards under the category Design of the Future: students. “The design is intended to provide a place where, as well as buying the products on sale, the customer can enjoy them. To achieve this, I have designed an open 360º space which light can flow into”, explains Santamaría.
Natural light reigns supreme
The geometrical and open arrangement of this building means all its zones are interconnected by means of a single aesthetic, using sober, neutral colours that make natural light the focal point. Prisma White Matt by Venis is used to tile the façade, while Stone Flamé (by the same firm) is used here for the external paving. It is highly resistant to wear from continued use, to temperature extremes, and to knocks, making it the ideal material for a project of this size.
“Visitors’ movements are guided by both the PORCELANOSA Group materials used and by the geometry of the floors and roof. The use of contrasting light and dark natural tones helps to distinguish the different zones within the space and enhance the sense of openness and light” adds the designer.
In praise of silence
The cafeteria, bathrooms and main corridor are clustered in the centre of the building, with quiet reading and meeting areas at the opposite extremes. Although the two areas appear to be separate, all the spaces are united by a minimalist interior design based on sand, beige and brown tones, combining the Newport Grey and Praga White wall tile collections by Venis.
For the main floor tiling, Santamaría has chosen Dayton Graphite by Venis, which simulates the textures and colour of granite, blending with the bookshop’s decorative elements. “This is a different kind of retail establishment, where design forms part of the experience”, he concludes.
