Outdated Ceramic Society of Coimbra celebrates its 18th-century construction
Easy plaster surfaces sit alongside aged wood ceiling beams inside this ceramics studio in Coimbra, Portugal, which has been overhauled by Luisa Bebiano Arquitectos and Atelier do Corvo.
Located close to town centre, the Outdated Ceramic Society of Coimbra has been revamped by native practices Luisa Bebiano Arquitectos and Atelier do Corvo to “emphasise the continuity of time, with out ruptures”.
The 18th-century constructing was as soon as a part of a now-defunct group of ceramic factories that made use of Coimbra’s clay-rich soil.
“This constructing is the one instance left with distinctive options,” defined the practices, “so it was crucial to recuperate, protect and recontextualise it, renovating and equipping it with museological situations to show its heritage.”
Sustaining a majority of the constructing’s historic structural shell, the observe has divided the inside into two ranges. The bottom flooring performs host to a pottery workshop, the place items being labored on by guests line rows of open cabinets.
Guillaume Terver makes use of pure supplies for Brittany ceramics retailer and adjoining Otonali eatery
Crumbling stone partitions right here have both been panelled over with timber or hand-rendered with plaster, making a barely unfinished impact.
Black-framed glazed doorways lead by way of to a comfortable restaurant, full with a wooden burner, timber eating tables, and cream-coloured seat cushions.
This flooring additionally boasts a sequence of giant kilns the place ceramics items are fired – the method by which clay is hardened and made extra sturdy by publicity to excessive temperatures.
Massive ducts constructed into the highest of the ovens additionally assist preserve the constructing ventilated through the heat summer time months.
Upstairs, guests can glaze and paint their ceramic works, a few of that are displayed on tall storage models. A part of the pine flooring has been lower out to disclose the unique wood ceiling beams which have been preserved beneath at floor stage.
The outside of the constructing has been freshened up with a coat of lime mortar, and the previously dilapidated roof has been fully rebuilt.
On the finish of final 12 months, architect Guillaume Terver created a ceramics retailer in Brittany, France which connects to a Japanese fusion restaurant. Its interiors are decked out with pure supplies like clay, granite, and timber to kind what Terver describes as a “low-tech” aesthetic.
Images by Eduardo Nascimento from Do Mal o Menos.
Undertaking credit:
Architects: Luisa Bebiano, Carlos Antunes
Consultants: Pedro Canotilho, Diogo Rodrigues, Ivan Sach, Rui Santos, Mário Carvalhal, João Miranda
Contractor: Civifran Construções
Engineering: ECA Projectos