Castell D’emporda Restaurant
Location: Girona, Spain
Hotel Castell D’emporda, located in Girona, offers a signature restaurant including a large terrace with great views over the surrounding landscape. Dutch architects of Concrete Architectural Associates developed, at the clients’ request, a roof or covering for this terrace with the possibility to create an enclosed space with full wind and rain protection.
One of the design conditions was to create a covering that works in harmony with the historical and listed building. Additionally they wanted to maintain the terrace feeling while be seated under the covering.
The solution was to create abstract parasols. Twelve circles in different diameters are placed randomly on the terrace. Where the circles touch they melt together, the open spaces between circles are filled in with glass.
The circular parasol shapes enhance the feeling of being in an outdoor environment on a terrace. The shape of the covering appears as a separate almost temporary element, leaving the ancient building untouched. A glass roof or a winter garden would to much become a building, create a feeling being inside a structure and would also appear as an extension of the building, damaging the ancient character.
The top and edge of the parasols are made in rusted steel, seeking harmony with the ancient building and the natural environment. The white painted steel columns and ceiling create an open and light outdoor atmosphere under the parasols.
At times of strong cold winds, transparent PVC curtains can be pulled round to enclose the marble dining tables. The curtains are hung from a top rail integrated into the perimeter of each parasol and fixed to the ground. In this way, when the mistral winds suddenly appear the whole terrace can be closed in a couple of minutes and PVC curtains are able to preserve all internal area. Round and square tables and two white leather lounge couches create different seating facilities. Underneath one parasol a circular outdoor bar is placed.