What’s cooking: SelgasCano talk to us about their new work
José Selgas and Lucía Cano, the duo that make up the Madrid-based studio SelgasCano, have compared their role as architects to that of a waiter: they are mere intermediaries between the demands of the client, the place and construction. The 'kitchen' (or studio) is where the work is 'cooked'.
After the success of SalgasCano's Serpentine Gallery Pavilion – an amorphous tube made of multi-coloured plastic – the practice is bubbling with new projects. One is an extension of Second Home, the creative workplace in East London, founded by the young entrepreneurs Rohan Silva and Sam Aldenton. The first phase was completed by SegasCano in late 2014. The extension will see the venue expand by three floors, doubling the number of private work studios. Due to be completed in May 2016, the architects have projected full-grown trees and large indoor ponds weaving around sunken seating areas. As far as risk-taking goes, it seem Second Home's co-founders are dream clients.
'Yes they are,' agrees Selgas from his glass-walled studio in a wood near Madrid. 'The relationship is very fluid - it's like "lets to this and lets do that.''' Selgas is less impressed with the Tower Hamlets Department of Planning, who are having trouble understanding a new facade for the building, which is inspired by a typically English greenhouse extension. 'Trying to be the first is difficult,' Selgas laments. 'It's the same the world over.'
Elsewhere, the Plasencia Congress Centre - a controversial project that has been 10 years in the making - is finally coming to an end. And over in Los Angeles, the studio will sign off three private homes in early 2016.
One is situated the slopes of Mount Washington. It features a terrace the same size as the interior because, the architects say, in LA people live as much outside as they do in. In order to cut costs, a challenge that Selgas and Cano relish as much as they do juxtaposing high-tech materials with nature, every interior element comes from the catalogue of Home Depot. Giant palm trees, weave through a protective enveloping façade made of recycled wood, giving the impression of a classic mid-century LA home styled by a pair of eco-minded futurists.
INFORMATION
For more information on Selgascano visit the website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Inside The Met’s magical ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ exhibition
On the evening of the Met Gala 2024, Wallpaper* takes a tour of The Met’s latest Costume Institute exhibition, ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’, a multi-sensory journey of sight, smell and touch
By Tilly Macalister-Smith Published
-
Olympic Torch Relay Cauldron by Mathieu Lehanneur: 'the object which unites our energies'
Mathieu Lehanneur unveiled his design for the Olympic Torch Relay Cauldron for Paris 2024 as the Torch Relay prepares to make its debut in Marseille on 8 May
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Alternate worlds and end of days: Pierre Huyghe in Venice
Pierre Huyghe delves into dystopia with 'Liminal', at Palazzo Grassi’s Punta della Dogana in Venice
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
MOCA is a self-sufficient mobile home offering freedom to work (and roam)
MOCA (Mobile Catalyst) is a sustainable mobile home designed by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, and taking remote working to a new level
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Low-energy house in Catalonia minimises its footprint to make the most of its site
Alventosa Morell Arquitectes’ low-energy house in Catalonia nestles into the landscape
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Hortensia Herrero Art Centre puts Valencia on the contemporary art map
Hortensia Herrero Art Centre launches in Valencia, offering a home for contemporary art to sit side by side with archaeological treasures
By Blaire Dessent Published
-
Collective, Hong Kong and Spain: Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2023
With bases in Hong Kong and Spain, Collective joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Nicolás y Nicolás, Spain and Ecuador: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023
With offices in Spain and Ecuador, Nicolás y Nicolás is part of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This light-filled Spanish house is defined by openness and geometry
A Spanish house by Arquitecturia Camps Felip is designed around its courtyards and its six volumes’ bold geometry
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Spain’s Casa Primitiva is ruled by simplicity
The pared-back Casa Primitiva by Hanghar fits in perfectly in its semi-rural Spanish context
By TF Chan Published
-
Architecture for animals leads the way at this school for dogs
Details are designed with dogs in mind at Spain’s Educan School for Dogs, Humans and Other Species
By Hannah Silver Published