Les Algues Chill and drinks, a Mediterranean character of the first floor of Hotel Maritim

Architects: Dom Arquitectura / Pablo Serrano Elorduy, Blanca Elorduy, Carlota de Gispert
Location: Roses, Girona, Spain
Year: 2016
Area: 2.466 ft²/ 230 m²
Photo courtesy: Jordi Anguera
Description:

“The aim of the project is to renovate and repurpose the first floor of Roses’ ‘Hotel Maritim’, in a ‘tapas’ and drinks bar.

The hotel is located on the seafront of Roses, a traditional fishing village, specifically on the beach promenade. The main objective is to give ‘Mediterranean character’ to the new space. The first floor used to be a closed interior space and a small outside terrace, of 3m wide, divided by a line of sliding doors. The key idea was to eliminate that division understanding the space as a unique covered outer space. For that purpose, we placed on the façade’s edge glass curtains, sliding and folding panels such as those of ‘See Glass’. This move allowed us to unify the whole space, without any frame or division, connecting it to the outside beach promenade and the sea.

This large outdoor/indoor space can be transformed. During the summer months and good weather, the space may be totally open, but in bad weather days or wind, it can be closed.

The proposed distribution places the bar counter at the back, parallel to the sea and the facade. The kitchen is also situated at the rear, together with the main access, thus leaving more usable space for tables and bar area for the clients.

We generated different areas to create diverse secluded spaces with their own atmospheres. Firstly the drinks area composed by different counters close to the main one and a large high counter attached to the eastern window overlooking Roses. Secondly two big U shape sofas facing the sea compose the ‘chill out area’. Finally the tables are distributed amongst some planters cladded in wood integrated in the pillars. This encloses and gives more privacy to the clients in such an open space.

The lighting is designed with a scenes system, which controls different types of atmospheres for every moment according to light intensity. As lighting devices we combine spotlights, linear LEDs and hanging lamps on the bars, with mobile and rotating lamps in painted copper tubes that allow the tables mobility specifically designed for the project,

The materials used intend to give the space personality, integrated in its place and people’s traditions. Several walls, planters and counters are cladded with a stripped wood, evoking the timber of old fishing boats. The facilities and ceiling beams are painted in dark brown. Three different sizes of wicker panels compose the ceiling and carrying sensations of summer beach bars.

The furniture’s colors follow the project’s line of natural colors. Fishermen net’s constitute the ceiling at the chill out area, together with the wood, the wicker panels, the plants and the nets we obtain a balanced Mediterranean character needed for the project.”