Page 31 - AIT0118_Leseprobe

Entwurf • Design Fran Silvestre, ES-Valencia
Bauherr • Client Petra – The Stone Atelier
Standort • Location Salvatierra 26, ES-Valencia
Nutzfläche • Floor space 638 m 2
Fotos • Photos Fran Silvestre, ES-Valencia
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More infos on page 139

THE STONE ATELIER

IN VALENCIA

„Das Runde ins Eckige zu bringen In the centre of Valencia, Fran Silvestre designed the
showroom of the Spanish Stonehegen brand of natural
gilt nicht nur im Fußball als stone surfaces. Clear geometries, white surfaces and soft-
Königsdisziplin.“ ly filtered sunlight characterize the spatial effect. One
almost has to look a long time for the actual exhibits,
however, in the almost surreal looking architecture – their
effect is all the richer in contrast and all the more lasting.

F itting what is round into what is square is considered to be the
supreme discipline not only in football. In architecture as well, the
harmonious combination of a circle and a square again and again
serves as proof of highest mastery. One, for instance, only has to think
of Bramante’s design for St Peter’s Basilica, Palladio’s Villa Rotonda,
Schinkel’s Neues Museum or the Stuttgart Staatsgalerie by James
Stirling. With his Stone Atelier in Valencia, the Spanish architect Fran
Silvestre now also joins the illustrious ranks. The showroom of
Stonehegen, the supplier and processor of natural stone, hides in the
backyard of a magnificent art nouveau building close to the old town. A
long, white corridor leads from the street through the building. The
entrance area is clad with white marble; a narrow counter serves as the
reception. Behind it, free-standing cabinet elements with open consulta-
tion zones between them add rhythm to the long way into the depth of
the room. On the left and on the right, white built-in cupboards accom-
pany the visitors. Having arrived in the courtyard, they see the room sud-
denly widening into a spacious, light-flooded hall. Thanks to the translu-
cent ceiling, softly filtered, shadowless daylight penetrates which makes
the interior shine. In combination with the white, jointless surfaces, an
almost surreal impression is created. Only the offices separated by ceil-
ing-high glass walls and bordering the hall on two sides give the space
scale and contours. Yet one looks in vain for natural stone here! Instead,
the square layout is dominated by a circular room-in-room construction
with a height of almost two metres. It stands somewhat eccentrically
and only opens in two places with door modules as thick as the wall.
Längsschnitt • Longitudinal section The purpose of the inserted circular structure becomes manifest when
its interior wall opens and the various types of natural stone from the
Stonegen portfolio appear behind numerous cupboard doors. But the
architectural staging of the showroom does not really end here. This is
because, into the circular exhibition structure, Fran Silvestre has placed
a second, interior circular construction which, in the completely black
Querschnitt • Transverse section interior, turns out to be a cool lounge with sofas.

AIT 1/2.2018 • 113