Wayco Abastos houses on the ground floor the cafeteria and the main workspace, which is separated by shelves that also serve as storage. The ground floor is complemented by a series of multi-purpose rooms of different sizes. The smaller ones, located next to one of the courtyards at the back, are used for meetings, dining rooms, workshops, or private offices. The Bailen room, which faces the street, is a multi-purpose room with a cozy atmosphere and open to many possibilities.
The attic houses a unique space, where the gears and mechanisms of the old workshop become the main protagonists, recalling the past of the premises. The architectural work here is limited to restoring and preserving the original character of this space as much as possible.
Description of project by José Costa
WAYCO ABASTOS
Refurbishment of premises for coworking space. Valencia. 2019-2020
A former factory of gold and silver thread for embroidery hosts a new coworking space: Wayco Abastos.
The venue, located under a residential building, had been previously transformed into an academy of arts and café, recovering and taking advantage of part of the
pre-existing elements. Following a similar line, the works done to fit the coworking use, aim to maximize the feeling of space, creating a cozy main work space where the pre-existing elements are restored, relocated and coexist with the new ones in a harmonious way.
The cafeteria becomes a crucial element of the intervention, not only as a meeting place between coworkers, but with the neighbourhood too. The interaction is accentuated by accessing the workspace through it.
The bar counter of the cafeteria was made from the pre-existing counter of the shop, giving it a special character. Other elements add to the atmosphere: the original large wood and forge doors that delimit it, the scenographic lighting using glass balls and the reused wooden and marble chairs and tables.
The main workspace is characterized by 28 suspended yellow lamps, exposed concrete columns and a series of steel and wood shelves, which separate different working areas while providing the necessary storage for users.
Multi-purpose rooms of different sizes complete the ground floor. The smaller ones, located next to one of the patios, are designed as meeting rooms, dining space, workshop rooms, or as private offices. The living room facing the street, the Bailen room, is a multi-purpose room with a welcoming atmosphere open to many possibilities.
The mezzanine floor is a very unique space, where you can still breathe its original activity. Under its gable roof and organized by 2 small patios which still have the original woodwork, the gears and mechanisms of the old workshop become the main protagonists. The architectural work here is limited to restoring the enclosures and cladding, eliminating the improper or out-of-use elements and updating the air conditioning and lighting facilities in order to preserve its original character.
