6T7 Espei Cafe by MSB Estudi Taller

In small towns like Olot in Catalonia, a bar is a place where people of all ages and occupations meet. But 6T7 Espai Cafe is not just a regular cafeteria, it’s a place where people meet art.

It is located in an alley in the old town of the city. For a long time, the proprietor ran a bar in a dilapidated older building that was finally demolished as part of an urban renewal scheme and replaced by a new structure. Here, in the same location, the owner moved into her new premises and modern surroundings. The clientele is largely the same, but in his design, the architect adopted a language with bare, grey, limewashed concrete walls that were meant to reflect the image of masonry one finds in the town. The finish is warm and gentle; steel was chosen with a dark brown tone and dark streaks that give natural texture to the piece. Natural grey wall texture is a great background for artworks, that are changed from time to time. “We wanted a neutral space to respond to the location, integrated into the context of the neighborhood. This space had to be empty, clean, and sober. Its walls are a place for exhibitions, for contemplation.” -MSB Estudi Taller

At the center of the cafe stands a preoxidized-steel sculptural furnishing object that creates compartments for sitting in the quieter part of the L-shaped space and that merges with the counter in the livelier entrance zone. The seating element consists of two prefabricated sections, the size of which was restricted by the narrow street width and the limits this imposed on transporting larger units. In a narrow corridor behind the recesses, seating and electric sockets are provided. “The furniture could not reveal the function, could not charge the space, it had to be neutral. We created a piece of furniture to be seen, like a sculpture. A sculpture crafted from steel plate generating pace and enhances the shape of space.” -MSB Estudi Taller

In one of the facades facing the street, there is an element, which filters, blurs, divides the light. A vibration element that provides texture, roughness to space, in contrast to the smooth surface of the walls and furniture. It’s a hand-made window panel. Woven from steel wire, they add an uneven texture to an otherwise neutral environment. “A handmade piece to humanize the space intentionally made to get close and merge architecture to the people”-MSB Estudi Taller

6T7 Espai Cafe, by Spanish architects MSB Estudi Taller, is a place that gathers people, art, and architecture together.