The architectural firm NUA arquitectures has renovated an old local offices to turn it into an interesting cafe in the town of Valls, Tarragona, the birthplace of amazing castells.
The NUA architectures project recognizes two facades and seeks maximum transverse transparency so that natural light can reach every corner of the new cafe. The project also implements a second strategy discovering the existing concrete structure, leaving a single open space with three environments: the garden, the dining room and the kitchen.

An open space, versatile and open to the city that hosts different activities. A fragment of home to enjoy new gastronomic proposals. A garden, a dining room and a kitchen.
 

Project description by NUA arquitectures

In a room on the ground floor abandoned and occupied for a long time by an agency, an action is proposed to grant a second life transforming it into a bright gastronomic space that can accommodate, in addition to cafeteria and catering services, educational and cultural uses that may contribute to the activation of this neighborhood of the city of Valls.

The space is located between medians and has two facades, one completely transparent that opens to the street, and another, in the back, partially occupied by an industrial building.

The first action of the project is to seek maximum transversal transparency so that natural light can reach all corners of the new coffee. While openings in the upper part are conceived in the rear façade to illuminate and ventilate the service areas, the urban façade is permeable and opens to the public space blurring its boundaries. Its section is extended to generate a habitable space both from the inside and from the outside and allow, in turn, the total opening of the carpentry of each of the two areas of access.

The second strategy of the intervention is to discover the existing concrete structure, which divides a single open space into three open domestic areas: the garden, the dining room and the kitchen.

Yard
The entrance space is a cushion between the street and the central coffee space. The textile roof of inverted vaults transports us to a tent, an internal festive space, or an exterior pergola that is part of a garden. The design of furniture of different dimensions and materials and the incorporation of vegetation give rise to a relaxed area, where the little ones also find their play space. The interior and exterior qualities of the space are regulated by the large metal entrance carpentries, which, in turn, formalize a bench and a table that appropriate the street.

Dinning room
The central space is led by a large table, a space to meet and share that allows to host a wide variety of activities. A bank with different tables runs through one of the medians, giving the option of enjoying a more intimate area. The other party area contains a furniture-service counter and storage.

 Kitchen
The third bay contains the kitchen, which opens to the central space, bathrooms and facilities. To accommodate the technical spaces the structural porch is completed with concrete blocks. The block wall is combined with translucent glass surfaces, which maintain the privacy of the service spaces and at the same time transport the maximum possible light to the central space.

An open space, versatile and open to the city that hosts different activities. A fragment of home to enjoy new gastronomic proposals. A garden, a dining room and a kitchen.

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Architects
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Collaborators
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MEP.- David Orpinell. Engineer: Enric Sanz. Graphic image.- Gerard Joan.
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Location
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Carrer Abat Llort 9, Valls. Tarragona. Spain
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Builder
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Marimon y Barrabeig.
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Area
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78.7m²
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Dates
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2019
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Photography
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José Hevia.
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NUA arquitectures is a young practice based in Tarragona and founded in 2013 by Maria Rius, Arnau Tiñena and Ferran Tiñena that explores and works in areas related to architecture and design in different scales by sensitive strategies to the memory of places and the environment.

Studio's work explores areas of architecture and design at different scales through strategies sensitive to the memory of places and the environment, seeking to provide answers to the contemporary social and cultural challenges of cities and territories through interventions that have The main objective is to improve people's lives.

NUA architectures has diversified its activity in different fields and typologies, focusing projects from the urban perspective to the detailed design simultaneously. The work and work carried out in recent years have recognized it as one of the emerging young studios in Spain and Europe, within the framework of the last three editions of the Arquia/próxima program (2014, 2016 and 2018), and this one was selected year 2023 as one of the 40 most promising studios under 40 on the continent according to the European Center for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies, and the Chicago Athenaeum Museum (Europe 40 under 40).

In 2016 it was one of the 7 studios selected to represent Catalonia at the Venice International Architecture Biennale, and recently the studio's projects have been recognized in the European Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe awards (2019), in the FAD (2018), at the Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (2018, 2021, 2023), at the ASCER Awards (2017, 2023) and at the Alejandro de la Sota Biennial (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 ), including the extraordinary award for the last 20 years of its edition in the rehabilitation category (1997-2017), among others.

NUA's work has been published in different national and international media, and has been included in AV's "Spain 2019" yearbook. Recently the Argentine publishing house Bisman has published a monograph on his work.

The studio has been invited to give lectures at several universities and institutions in Spain, Italy, Slovenia and the United States, such as the Design Museum and the Santa Mònica Arts Center in Barcelona, COAMadrid, the Barcelona Schools of Architecture, Madrid Donosti , Valencia, Milan or Cagliari, the International Archmarathon Congress in Milan, the International Congress of the Piranesi Awards, in Slovenia. the Congresp Scaliurbani of Livorno, or the College of Architecture of the Texas A&M University and the University of Virginia, among others.

NUA architectures has been part of the teaching team at the Reus School of Art and Design (EADR), of the Barcelona University School of Design and Engineering (ELISAVA) and is currently part of the School's Projects and Urban Planning teaching team. of Architecture of Reus (EAR-URV). He has also participated as an external jury in several critical sessions at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB-UPC), at the School of Architecture of the International University of Catalonia (UIC), at the de la Salle School of Architecture (URL), and at the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University.
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Published on: December 17, 2019
Cite: "Transformation of an old agency in Café Roquet by NUA architectures" METALOCUS. Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/transformation-old-agency-cafe-roquet-nua-architectures> ISSN 1139-6415
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