Ábaco Restaurant

Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós

ÁBACO RESTAURANT

GVG Estudio

ARCHITECTS
GVG Estudio

INSTALLATIONS
Naven Ingenieros

DESIGN AND PUBLICITY
Artworks

MANUFACTURERS
Vibia, Bricovidrio, CHN, Lineal CM, OHM + Mitsubishi + Trox, Pablo Garcia Hijos + Irago + Xuk/, Peroni, Puertas Santesteban, Tapibus

AUTHORS
Daniel Galar, Josecho Vélaz, Javier Gil

AREA
390 m²

YEAR
2016

LOCATION
Pamplona, Spain

CATEGORY
Restaurant

Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós

Hartza ― 'the Bear' in Basque ― was a widely renowned restaurant run by the Arza sisters in Pamplona. It was considered a real gastronomic temple until it was closed due to retirement in 2008.

Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós

Since then, many well established restaurateurs have shown a strong interest in its premises, located in the historical centre of the city, but it was not until the arrival of Jesús Íñigo that the Arza sisters decided to transfer their legacy.

Jesús' cuisine is radically different from theirs, but they admire each other. He commissioned us to refurbish the premises with one condition: to show the restaurant personality evincing a profound respect towards the old Hartza.

Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós

An awe-inspiring wood structure ― split in different levels creating mid and double height areas ― sequences a fragmented space that offers a range of private dining rooms.

Dark wood decoration reproduces the domestic sobriety of the typical Basque housing.

Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós

A 10 mm steel sheet has been trimmed, folded and continuously welded to give a unitary response by means of an abstract, floating, inserted, sole object that generates some kind of adapted contrast with the old premises, as the cuisine of Jesús does regarding the Arza sisters'.

The sheet pattern recreates an old motif from the local popular fabrics.

Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós

This inserted object solves all requirements: it is the seat, the back, the facing, the screen, the handrail, it includes air conditioning diffusers and sound absorption.

This way, the walls are freed from such elements and can be made uniform in dark blue, highlighting the structural, spatial geometry so characteristic of the former Hartza.

Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós


Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós
Ábaco Restaurant
© Rubén Pérez Bescós


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