AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.04.2002, Page 93

methodology applies to a skylight, which appears as a
glass mountain, and a marker from the outdoor terrace
on the rooftop of the new addition. The rooftop terrace
is basically a clearly-defined outdoor room surrounded
by a two-meter high pink coloured wall, which cuts the
surrounding backstage cityscape and gives a constant
reference to the different points of view. Perhaps it is a
kind of oblique homage to the master architect of sun
and shade, Luis Barragan. The old building was once
divided by a middle bearing concrete wall, which was
completely removed. The steel l-beams are left
exposed to give witness to that rather complicated
operation of engineering.
The interior arrangement aims to create a maximum
and somewhat harsh visual and dynamic flow, which
contrasts with the milder setting of atmosphere as
manifested in the wooden settings and the white
leather furniture. Patrons experience a round-a-bout
shift from consciously-designed tight corridors to wider
and more generous spaces, which encourage interac-
tion with the architectural qualities of the place as well
with other guests. The layout is meant to work physi-
cally as an icebreaker. The restaurant is further seg-
mented into 4-5 sections, which are all closely inter-
locked; the “street café” within the fishtank glass in the
front leeds after a passage through an imaginary gate
formed by the weightless, free-floating stairway and tilt-
ed sharpend cornered double high column containing
the air condition systems to the bar. The elliptically-
shaped bar encourages visual communication and
flow. Above, a white, hung ceiling piays off regularly
and irregularly placed halogen lights according to the
position of the viewer, a distant pun on a typical Sol
Lewitt white grid sculpture or Alvar Aaltos column
placement. Under the seats of the bar area is a glass
floor and it is quite entertaining, even exciting for some
strange birds to observe the dangling feet from under-
neath. The neatly-shaped barstools are especially
designed for the place and its legs are designed
humourisly as a hybrid between a volptuous femine
shape and a tight masculine gesture. The low-hung
ceiling gradually falls down to a minium height as one
gets further into the place, but opens up rapidly at the
dance floor into the sharp triangular skylight with the
floor descending several steps simualtaniously, creat-
ing an exhilarating sense of wonder as so often simi-
larly created in the architecture by someone like Frank
Lloyd Wright or Gunnar Aspelund.
The top floor of Kaffi List is contemplated as a some-
what more silent dining place with its view down to the
street and all the way down three floors to the base-
ment behind the glass wall. A generous neon light out-
side on the wall gives a dusky pink light at night. The
many sandblasted glass partitions have a written
moral, each in Spanish, coming from the families of
peasant living and food culture, cultivating simple
truths and pleasures. They are written in the font most
commonly used by newspapers in Spain during the for-
mer half of last century and carefully chosen by the dis-
tinguished lcelandic authors Guöbergur Bergson and
Örnólfur Árnason. ■
Kaffi List is designed by HUGSMIÐ architects, Guðjón
Bjarnason architect and artist.
Client: Pórdís Guðjónsdóttir and Augustin Navarro.
Design assistant: Gulleik Lövskar, int. arch.
Engineering and air conditioning: Víösjá Engineers.
Ironsmith: Jón V. Aðalsteinsson.
Wood and panel construction: Kompaníið.
General Carpentry: Pórir Arngrímsson.
Electricity: Straumver and Tera.
Painting: Svanur and Jói.
Text and sandblasted glass: Óli Th.
Lighting: Borgarljós. Marble: Álfaborg. Glass: íspan.
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