Pau Sarquella told us by phone that today goes to Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, where he will join for six months as a teacher in an international program. Currently working on the project of remodelling of a civic centre in Palafrugell with Carmen Torres (who also collaborated on the butchery project) and Marc Riera, after winning the competition held by the City Council a few months ago.
With few materials and an intelligent intervention that attempts to uncover the layers of the building, its memory (We discovered the same idea by Enric Miralles, 15 years ago, talking in an interview with José Juan Barba, 03 METALOCUS published in 1999), Pau Sarquella is marking the start of his practice.
Description of project by Pau Sarquella Fàbregas
In 2011, the sons of Herminia took over the running of the family butcher’s shop. Located on road 66 in Celrà, it has remained hidden from passing travellers, with only the local inhabitants shopping there. After years of hard work, the brothers decided to renovate their facilities to continue offering traditional meat and sausages to their customers.
The project develops through a commitment to the archaeological method: investigating the hidden patina of walls, excavating floors, unblocking windows, and rediscovering hidden vaults to return the space to its original form.
Once a Tabula Rasa is established, the interior volume is flooded with white: walls painted and surfaces clad in white-water tiles to provide subtle reflections and hygienise the space with northern light. On the customer's side, the furniture is made of pinewood to provide warmth and comfort, reminiscent of Nordic traditions.
To ensure the maximum space possible for product display, the in-built furniture takes a central role in the architectural organisation of the space. A series of glimpsed views in the entry and along a diagonal axis allows the customer to gradually discover the space, creating a promenade articulating and exhibits the products.
The brilliant white of the space slips out of the showcase windows to the facade of Celra’s road. It wraps around the building, creating vibrant signage, ensuring that the Butchery will never again go unnoticed by a hurried driver. A dark strip turns into the side facade, giving it the same importance as the frontal one. It becomes a mural or material collage, signing for customers available parking and a route through the grass to get their groceries.
The advertisements play with subtlety and collective imagination. A single, shy little pig on the wall is the banner and the emblem of the contents of the building. It recalls the silhouette of that wild animal from the southern wineries. A neon yellow sign activates the front facade, indicating from afar that something unusual is happening along the Road 66 to Palamos. But, it is at nighttime, when the butcher sleeps and the front facade moves, that you will discover that they are the Soler brothers now who offer us the best cuts in the region.
