selgascano and Andreu Carulla collaborate on TRAMO, a restaurant that regulates its temperature

Modular in Madrid

By Paige Davidson
A restaurant in Madrid, TRAMO, featured a large skylight with concrete slanted ceilings

In the Prosperidad neighborhood in northeast Madrid restaurant TRAMO lies within a former mechanic shop dating back to the 1950s. Local studio selgascano spearheaded this adaptive reuse effort for Proyectos Consientes. The project celebrates original elements and incorporates creative environmental initiatives through modular design.

Restaurant benches are made with exposed clay blocks and wood under a gabled rood at TRAMO
Air is circulated and piped into the restaurant with the help of the seating’s ceramic pipes, designed by Andreu Carulla (Juan Baraja)

Steel cables line the concrete roof of a restaurant by selgascano
Seating is made out of clay blocks and recycled aluminum and wood (Juan Baraja)

As one walks through the original car ramp into the restaurant, eyes are immediately drawn to the concrete slab ceiling accompanied by bold structural steel cables, bringing attention to the large skylight. This industrial ceiling ties with the open space making up the rest of the restaurant. An unexpected but intentional design of the layout is it is set like an auditorium: the seats are tiered and the open kitchen holds center stage.

A dim core of a restaurant gives way to the skylight-lit end under tall, gabled ceilings
The design keeps the structure of the former mechanic shop (Juan Baraja)

Tables at restaurant TRAMO are lit with solar, slim lamps
Even the table lamps are solar-powered (Juan Baraja)

Dynamic couple José Selgas and Lucía Cano founded selgascano in 1998. The studio is known for its innovative and bold designs, such as its 2015 Serpentine Pavilion and Second Home Offices in Los Angeles. With TRAMO, original components of the 5,015-square-foot (466-square-meter) bare space were reused. selgascano shared in a statement that it was “working with what exists, and avoiding the superfluous.” The firm continued, “The main objective of architecture is simply to keep the structure intact and enhance it by preserving its simplicity and beauty.”

selgascano’s restaurant features an open kitchen with the dining area facing towards it
The layout is like an auditorium with the seats as the main dining area, facing the stage-like kitchen (Juan Baraja)

Additionally, selgascano’s main goal with TRAMO was to use, what they call “modularity design” which it described as, “an eco-design technique that is more efficient and sustainable, providing easy manufacture, repair, and scalability.” To help with this, Selgas and Cano collaborated with Catalonian industrial designer Andreu Carulla who was responsible for the seating and lighting in the restaurant. Carulla designed a versatile assembly system for the chairs and lights. The modular furnishings were made using wood and recycled aluminum. The portable table lights collect solar energy during the day to offer intimate lighting at night.

Another sustainable feat of the project was cleverly snuck into the seating booths; here, pulling inspiration from Provençal wells, Carulla designed conduits in the benches from over 1,000 ceramic modules produced by Ceràmiques Est. This element allows the restaurant to naturally regulate the temperature by channeling air from outside. To a similar end, a natural misting system also controls the internal temperature and humidity of TRAMO. This system is also used to water the abundance of green plants located throughout the restaurant.

At night, TRAMO features guests that look onto the open kitchen where food is being prepared
The menu also reflects sustainable and eco-friendly considerations like meat from regenerative farms in Ávila (Iwan Baan)

A close-up look at the ceiling of TRAMO where cement is held by steel rods
Concrete remains in place with the help of steel rods (Iwan Baan)

TRAMO in English means ”section.” The overall design process and execution is a continuous effort. As detailed in the project description, “The goal is to move forward step-by-step, rung-by-rung, idea after idea, section by section. It is neither the beginning nor the end, but rather the journey we are taking.” selgascano and Andreu Carulla designed TRAMO to be a space that will continue to adapt to the surrounding climate and those who occupy it.

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