Projects

VILLA CUADRADA

No other building better represents the dissociation between the facade as decor and the interior as domestic pragmatism than Villa Cuadrada. Originally constructed in 1904, its exterior resembles that of an Italian palazzo with symmetric proportions, while its interior is an accumulation of rooms whose disorderly plan does not correspond to any classical structure. The renovation project for the building recovers spatial schemes from the Renaissance that explore pre-modern domesticity: sets of connected rooms, axial symmetries, absence of corridors, and multiple trajectories construct spaces connected in various forms of privacy and collectivity. Ultimately, if architecture has largely reassessed the iconography of the elevation since postmodernism, the project proposes the interplay of classic domestic schemes and modern plans as one of the most unexplored issues in recent architectural history.

Category: Project. Built
Architect/s: Javier F. Contreras, Ignacio Hornillos, Manuel Torrejón
© Federico Cairoli

Madrid, 2022-2024

PRISMARIUM

The relationship between proximity and distance defines the identity of Logroño. From the first Roman settlements to contemporary times, the city has built its history as a crossroads. Prismarium, our proposal for the information pavilion of the Concentrico Festival, is a crystallography of prisms that organizes the space of the square and establishes an iconic relationship with the changing images of its perimeter. Activated at every moment by the city’s residents and festival visitors, the project combines periscope and camera obscura projection mechanisms that mix images of Logroño in real-time with static information about the activities, tours, and programs of Concentrico. In this way, a landscape of illusions is generated—a pavilion whose information is inhabited in its perimeter, from different oculi and articulated points of view that transform the notions of visual appropriation and public space.

Category: Project. Built
Architect/s: Javier F. Contreras, Ignacio Hornillos
Assistant/s: Cristina Medina, José M. Rueda
Awards: 1^st Prize International Competition
Concentrico 06, Architecture and Design Festival
Publications: Monocle, No. 138 (Nov 2020): 104
© Víctor Garrido

Logroño, 2020

LARGE KIOSK

Large/Kiosk is an independent bookstore nestled near Lake Geneva, sharing its space with Large Network, an agency renowned for its expertise in graphic design. The project blends raw, industrial elements, exuding an aesthetic characterized by metal and wooden finishes. The centerpiece of the space is a set of diagonal, generously sized tables inviting visitors to linger and explore the array of literary offerings while in direct connection with designers. Its commitment to transparency, both in its design ethos and physical layout, is evident with open spaces available for a cultural agenda featuring regular lectures and book launches. From the open floor plan to the large windows that flood the space with views of the urban landscape, the design fosters a sense of openness and connectivity among the bookstore, the agency, and the city.

Category: Project. Built
Architect/s: Javier F. Contreras, Youri Kravtchenko, Ignacio Hornillos
Collaborator/s: Cécile-Diama Samb
© Emma Birbaud, Audrey Besanceney

Geneva, 2019

SCÈNES DE NUIT
Nocturnal Exhibition at f’ar Lausanne

Scènes de Nuit presents five nocturnal encounters exploring the role of night in the construction of contemporary cities and societies. The exhibition seeks to reflect on the spaces, activities, and media in nighttime culture, using evening events and performative scenography as display platforms. The themed evenings—SHOP, FILM, CLUB, FOOD, and CITY—explore the nocturnal practices and rituals associated with different space types, such as corner shops, cinemas, nightclubs, restaurants, and artificially lit urban environments. They become experimental laboratories to examine the relationship between night and architecture.

Category: Exhibition
Curator/s: Javier F. Contreras, Youri Kravtchenko
Assistant: Manon Portera
Scenography: HEAD – Genève, Interior Architecture
Awards: 1st Prize Curatorial Competition f’ar
Publications: Scènes de Nuit / Night & Architecture (Madrid:  Asimétricas, 2021)
Research Platfom: Scènes de Nuit
© Baptiste Coulon, Lea Kloos

Lausanne, 2019