The sea comes to Madrid with the design of La Maruca restaurant by Zooco Estudio. The design features sinuous lines inspired by nautical themes and an open kitchen, visible to both diners and passersby thanks to a transparent shell that allows complete visibility from the outside.
Just ten minutes by bus from Puerta del Sol on the banks of the Manzanares, the new La Maruca restaurant designed by Zooco Estudio forms a nautical club in the heart of the Spanish capital. It pays tribute to the great rationalist architectural jewels of Santander, such as the “Isla de Torre” Sailing School and the Real Club Marítimo.
Through a process of abstraction, the restaurant's interior design plays with the external-internal dualism, creating exteriors within the interiors, recreating open, nautical-inspired environments where the sea is felt without being seen. The entire internal volume is shaped through multiple curved and enveloping facades using bands, inviting visitors to walk and observe. It's a sort of pilgrimage through the traditional and landscape images of the city of Santander.
The materiality of the project is closely linked to its coastal and maritime character:
- Nautical teak wood with black polymer-based joints, used in boat decks, as flooring in passageways
- Light micro terraces with earth-colored minerals, for the flooring of the rooms
- White lacquered concrete as the finish for all internal building volumes
- Teak wood strips constitute all the vertical elements of the project, like columns and pillars
- Smooth white ceilings, with a high degree of acoustic absorption, complete the design.
The volumetry of the internal spaces is noteworthy, as the curved bands lend sinuosity to the entire project. This was achieved using matte white ceramic pieces in a 5 x 40 cm format, which, due to their extreme thinness, perfectly adapted to the curved profiles of various volumes, giving them a characteristic texture. A careful study of the project's horizontal lines establishes a clear order that aids in the visual harmonization of the project and understanding of the spaces.
Another distinctive feature of the project is its bathrooms: raised above the venue, they extend onto the external terrace like a dock, adding character to the outdoor space. The bathrooms – or cabins – are designed with just two elements, both adapted to the cladding of organic and soft architectures: teak wood strips and a baseboard of semi-circular ceramic pieces of the same width.
The restaurant's shell, thanks to the venue's 4 orientations, is 360°.
Large fixed windows, like a transparent box, enhance maximum possible permeability and facilitate clear and sharp observation of the interiors from the urban context in which the restaurant is situated. Thanks to a comprehensive system of wooden sliding doors, the venue can achieve various degrees of privacy and sun protection.
At the center of the maritime building, visible to all passersby both inside and outside the venue, is its spectacular open kitchen. Nothing is hidden. Like the engine room of a ship, it's an act of total trust in the work team and transparency towards the customer. Stainless steel, reliable and unchanging, is the absolute protagonist.
