Canalla Disco or ‘Rogue Disco’ is a nightclub space in Pamplona, Spain which has been reconstructed and refurbished. The original club’s leitmotiv was a dark box with flashes of coloured lights. Conceptually the disco is conceived as a hub of light, sound and motion. Vaillo + Irigaray wanted to create a composition of these three elements, that gradually combines the light, sound and movement.
Gold leaf inspired a more elegant atmosphere in the new club than the one it had with its previous decoration. Vaillo + Irigaray were searching for a ‘noble’ material, with a colour that was not a coating or plate effect, but rather the composition of the material itself and able to cause reflections and catch flashes of the disco lights.
Brass and steel constitute the structural pallet of this project. Gold is not a choice of a colour, but rather a material. The designers needed a material able to provide a warm atmosphere that could also be placed on the floor, walls and ceiling. The perforated finish allows a special acoustic absorption and the music of these areas has a lower volume to allow for guests to enjoy a calmer atmosphere.
The material coating had to be able to age with dignity, despite potential scratches, wear and rust. The solid non-coated composite ensured the material was resistant for the floor, bench seating and walls. Throughout its lifetime the material’s look will change, depending on the ageing of it.
The disco has two distinct areas, the main space comprising of a stage and dance floor which is skirted by a second area reserved for seating booths. The stage and dance floor are coated in neutral dark brown tones, giving a continuous feel and allowing the space to be set off by the lighting on the dance floor.
Meanwhile the floor, walls and roof to the edges are more sober, and welcoming. The golden boxes reflect the flashing lights, allowing sparks of the central space to be captured in a nuanced glittering reflection. Reserved areas are conformed as an extruded open box that sets itself apart from the dance floor.
Boxes are made of brass on three sides, (walls, floors and ceilings) and have a lower intensity illumination, different from the dance floor. The system of curtains allows the separation of each reserved area, and also allows the room to be divided for special events.
The main centre space is shaped as an area for dancing; it is designed to be intense, with convulsive vibration. The designers were far removed from traditional standards about space concepts, rather distorting the norm to perform an exercise in control, glittering lights and vibration.
The usual canons of spatial conception, which in this case are distorted, promote a fluid atmosphere capable of absorbing the tensions and forces between the compulsive and sober – the vibration and reverberation. A long bar going through the length of the whole premises provides the backbone of this gradual composition of space. The base of the bar utilises the golden colour as a unifying element.
The space is quite angular, with straight edges and pointed corners. The designers said:
“During the design process many prototypes of the brass box-bench were made with rounded corners. The appearance that these ‘soft’ edges conveyed was contrary to the concept we were looking for”
The use of angular elements provided more ‘rigidity’ or ‘forcefulness’ to inserted objects. The floor is made of continuous polished asphalt, while the ceiling and the walls are also covered with a dark chocolate brown.
Images © Rubén Pérez Bescós
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Vaillo + Irigaray appeared first on Restaurant & Bar Design.