concéntrico | design and architecture news and project https://www.designboom.com/tag/concentrico/ designboom magazine | your first source for architecture, design & art news Wed, 25 Jun 2025 08:39:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 soft baroque’s kinetic bench in spanish plaza sways and twists when you sit on it https://www.designboom.com/design/soft-baroque-kinetic-bench-plaza-spain-concentrico-06-25-2025/ Wed, 25 Jun 2025 01:45:50 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1140712 the dancing bench at concéntrico festival is part of the studio's series exploring how familiar objects can be recharged through unexpected mechanics and sensory experiences.

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dancing bench reimagines public furniture at Concéntrico 2025

 

Soft Baroque brings motion to the ubiquitous with their Dancing Bench installation at Concéntrico in Logroño, Spain. The kinetic public bench is part of an ongoing series by the studio that explores how familiar objects can be recharged through unexpected mechanics and sensory experiences. Installed in an urban plaza for the festival, the piece appears as a deceptively simple sculptural volume, until it moves, activating the body and disorienting perception.

 

The structure is made of parallel planes that manually rotate when weight is applied, creating a continuous ripple that subtly distorts space and sensation. As the user sits and begins to sway or shift, the bench sways too, generating an interplay between optical illusion and physical engagement, with the movement smooth, soothing, and slightly uncanny.

soft baroque's kinetic bench in a plaza in spain sways and twists when you sit on it
all images courtesy of Josema Cutillas

 

 

soft baroque brings motion to the ubiquitous

 

With backgrounds spanning object design and visual art, Nicholas Gardner and Saša Štucin of Soft Baroque have built a practice on collapsing boundaries between typology and image, and utility and illusion. Their Dancing Furniture series embraces the everyday object or infrastructure as a performative element capable of inviting attention, companionship, or contemplation. At Concéntrico, the Dancing Bench is activated with a small theatrical motion that asks people in public space to move a little differently, and to reflect on how objects behave around them.

 

Like many of Soft Baroque’s works, the Dancing Bench draws from a visual language of mid-century modernism while pushing material logic toward conceptual ends. The crisp geometry, repetitive surfaces, and minimal palette give way to a subtle strangeness that emerges only in use, with the design toying with expectations of public furniture, transforming a passive place of rest into a shared instrument of motion.When we dance ‘with’ the bench, sit on it and rotate, it is a mediative and soothing experience, like a rocking chair or hammock,’ explains the team.

soft baroque's kinetic bench in a plaza in spain sways and twists when you sit on it
Soft Baroque unveils the Dancing Bench at Concéntrico

soft baroque's kinetic bench in a plaza in spain sways and twists when you sit on it
the installation brings motion to the ubiquitous with their Dancing Bench

soft baroque's kinetic bench in a plaza in spain sways and twists when you sit on it
the kinetic public bench sways and twists when you sit on it

soft baroque's kinetic bench in a plaza in spain sways and twists when you sit on it
part of an ongoing series that explores how familiar objects can be recharged through unexpected mechanics

soft-baroque-dancing-bench-concentrico-spain-designboom-01

it invites people in public space to move a little differently, and to reflect on how objects behave around them


the structure is made of parallel planes that manually rotate when weight is applied


the movement is smooth, soothing, and slightly uncanny


drawing from a visual language of mid-century modernism while pushing material logic toward conceptual ends

 

 

project info:

 

name: Dancing Bench

designer: Soft Baroque | @soft_baroque

location: Logroño, Spain    

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translucent drapes encircle forest floor for nami nami’s concéntrico installation in spain https://www.designboom.com/architecture/translucent-drapes-forest-floor-nami-nami-concentrico-installation-spain-06-21-2025/ Sat, 21 Jun 2025 13:30:14 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1140216 the work forms a sensory-rich playground, grounded by a mutable forest bed filled with pine cones, pebbles, soil, and branches that invite intuitive play.

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nami nami studio’s wildlings encourages urban, elemental play

 

At the 2025 edition of the Concéntrico festival in Spain, Nami nami studio presents Wildlings, a spatial installation that reconsiders how urban environments can host instinctive, tactile forms of play. Installed within a quiet plaza, the work forms a sensory-rich playground as it loosely defines a circular zone treated as a mutable forest bed filled with pine cones, pebbles, soil, and branches. The materials are left only casually arranged to foreground their sensory and spatial properties as they elementally ground the structure in the urban setting, and encourage active engagement for rearrangement through touch and motion.

 

Architect Klára Koldová and designer Eduard Herrmann articulate the perimeter through a lightweight frame constructed from aluminum rods and telescopic fishing poles, anchored by eight large stones collected from the surrounding landscape. A translucent fabric shroud encircles the site, filtering light and air as it ripples with the wind, allowing gentle glimpses through.

translucent drapes encircle forest floor for nami nami's concéntrico installation in spain
all images by Vojtěch Veškrna

 

 

a sensory-rich playground at Concéntrico in Logroño, spain

 

Each year, Concéntrico invites architects and designers to rethink the public realm through temporary architectural gestures in Logroño. For Czech practice Nami nami studio, whose work under the Nami Play label has recently focused on developing new typologies for exploratory play, the intervention continues an evolving inquiry into how spatial design can supportthe intervention continues an evolving inquiry into how spatial design can support early cognitive and emotional development without overdetermining it. cognitive and emotional development without overdetermining it. Wildlings defines a boundary condition that is spatially legible but materially open for this playground which enables informal and spontaneous exploration to unfold. The structure can be assembled and disassembled quickly, and the apparent fragility of its structure reinforces its responsiveness to context.

 

The installation also stems from the studio’s broader interest in how sensory experience can shape our understanding of space. They frame play as a form embodied research, where the act of engaging with natural materials becomes a way to explore atmosphere, texture, and one’s orientation within the environment. The design then creates conditions that support many forms of interaction and raw encounters; someone might sit quietly on a cool stone, or walk barefoot across the soil, or rearrange branches into new patterns. Each encounter remains open-ended, shaped by presence and attention in the moment.

translucent drapes encircle forest floor for nami nami's concéntrico installation in spain
Nami nami studio presents Wildling at Concéntrico

translucent drapes encircle forest floor for nami nami's concéntrico installation in spain
the spatial installation reconsiders how urban environments can host instinctive, tactile forms of play

translucent drapes encircle forest floor for nami nami's concéntrico installation in spain
Nami nami articulates the perimeter through a lightweight frame constructed from aluminum rods and telescopic fishing pole

translucent drapes encircle forest floor for nami nami's concéntrico installation in spain
a circular zone treated as a mutable forest bed filled with pine cones, pebbles, soil, and branches

translucent drapes encircle forest floor for nami nami's concéntrico installation in spain
the translucent fabric shroud filters light and air as it ripples with the wind, allowing gentle glimpses through

translucent drapes encircle forest floor for nami nami's concéntrico installation in spain
anchored by eight large stones collected from the surrounding landscape


the work forms a sensory-rich playground


the structure can be assembled and disassembled quickly

 

 

project info:

 

name: Wildlings

architect: Nami nami | @nami_nami_studio

 

photographer: Vojtěch Veškrna | @vojtechveskrna

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red curtains bridge the spanish vineyard with the domestic for pavilion at concéntrico https://www.designboom.com/architecture/red-curtain-spanishh-vineyard-domestic-concentrico-pavilion-j-af-architecture-gonzalez-serrano-05-22-2024/ Wed, 22 May 2024 18:35:45 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1059733 J-AF architecture and gonzález serrano studio's 'a table elevated in the landscape' invites visitors to share an experience through the senses.

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‘a table elevated in the landscape’ for concéntrico 09

 

For Concéntrico 09, J-AF Architecture and González Serrano Studio perched a wooden pavilion on stilts, embracing views of the vineyards in La Rioja, Spain. Titled ‘A Table Elevated in the Landscape’, the work comprises a red carpet that transitions from the landscape to a found domestic space. Behind the curtain appears a table, where visitors gather to share an experience through the senses and create ties with the context.

 

Gaps in the facade, reflecting the movement of the interior without competing with the presence of the landscape, are framed with a subtle red ribbon, which links the ever-present context with the interior activity. Scents permeate throughout space – delicate notes that nod to the quality of the product and past family experiences around a table.

red curtains bridge the spanish vineyard with the domestic for pavilion at concéntrico
all images courtesy of J-AF Architecture and González Serrano Studio

 

 

envisioned by J-AF Architecture and González Serrano Studio 

 

Architects J-AF Architecture and González Serrano Studio envisioned ‘A Table Elevated in the Landscape’ as a machine for generating experiences and linking with the landscape. ‘A subtle constructed intervention, and a landscape intervention, a red carpet, that spreads, guides and introduces,’ Jennyfher Alvarado shares. Its high volume generates two situations, one higher – human and inhabited – and another lower – natural and respectful. Its form is in dialogue with the nature that surroundings it, their elements in harmony.

 

The construction process responds to its temporal condition, configuring wood in different compositions. To facilitate the construction work and subsequent recycling of the materials themselves, the Balloon Frame is applied in response to the system made up of 10cm x 7.5cm wooden slats. On top of these, the panels are superimposed, generating the exterior enclosure. The structure is modulated in such a way that 33 of the 40 panels can be used again as they have not been cut or significantly modified. The idea of leaving views and highlighting the joints is translated into a series of red metal plates that generate different standard solutions.

red curtains bridge the spanish vineyard with the domestic for pavilion at concéntrico
‘A Table Elevated in the Landscape’ at Concéntrico 09

red curtains bridge the spanish vineyard with the domestic for pavilion at concéntrico
the wooden pavilion perches on stilts

red curtains bridge the spanish vineyard with the domestic for pavilion at concéntrico
a red carpet and curtains transition from the landscape to a found domestic space

red curtains bridge the spanish vineyard with the domestic for pavilion at concéntrico
embracing views of the Spanish vineyard

red curtain drapes J-AF architecture & gonzález serrano's wood pavilion in spanish vineyard
curated scents permeate throughout space

red curtains bridge the spanish vineyard with the domestic for pavilion at concéntrico
‘a machine for generating experiences and linking with the landscape’

 

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a table elevated in the landscape j af architecture gonzalez serrano studio 10
the structure is modulated in such a way that 33 of the 40 panels can be used again

a table elevated in the landscape j af architecture gonzalez serrano studio 11

 

project info:

 

name: A Table Elevated in the Landscape | Una Mesa Elevada en el Paisaje
designer: Jennyfher Alvarado Figueroa, Álvaro González Serrano
location: La Rioja, Spain

program: Concéntrico 09

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: ravail khan | designboom

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syn architects’ burlap and wood pavilion evokes najdi architecture at concéntrico 10 https://www.designboom.com/architecture/syn-architects-burlap-wood-pavilion-najdi-architecture-concentrico-10-open-segments-05-18-2024/ Sat, 18 May 2024 00:05:09 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1065474 wrapped in wooden columns and fabric produced from regional flora and fauna, it creates an interplay of fragments and openings inviting exploration.

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open segments revisits the courtyard house typology

 

Reimagining the traditional courtyard house typology for the public realm, syn architects’ Open Segments pavilion evokes the essence of Najdi architecture. Unveiled at the tenth edition of Concéntrico in Logroño, Spain, the work fosters small-scale interactions to examine elements of regional space-making and culture. A cluster of volumes dot the palm tree-shaded site, recalling the rectilinear units forming small neighborhoods in Saudi Arabia’s Najd region. Wrapped in plywood columns and burlap produced from regional flora and fauna, they create an interplay of translucent fragments and openings that invite exploration and play.

syn architects' burlap and wood pavilion evokes najdi architecture at concéntrico 10
image by Josema Cutillas

 

 

syn architects cites collective memory of space at Concéntrico

 

Open Segments investigates spatial and cultural ideals embodied by the courtyard home, typically hosting both private moments as well as communal Majlis-like gatherings. Drawing on this duality of purpose and its ensuing flexibility, Riyadh-based syn architects disassembled this archetype, conceiving forms that can be configured in an array of formulations with just two simple building blocks. A modular construction system is employed, vertically laying a series of planks along the perimeter of the space which are held together by a semi-translucent mesh material. The continuous repetition of the spine wall is broken by various openings along two adjacent facades which softly filter in sunlight while creating future interpretations and preserving the integrity of the traditional architectural language.

 

The continuity and morphology of these spaces in the context of Concéntrico, Logroño’s Festival of Architecture and Design, cite the collective memory of space, resulting in various physical and intangible narratives. Its configuration showcases the flexibility and sequences of fragmentation and continuity of the native architectural and social structures. Following the festival, the pavilion will be dismantled and returned to Saudi Arabia, its fabric components repurposed to extend their life cycle at Tanween 2024, embedded with the patina of its time in Spain.

syn architects' burlap and wood pavilion evokes najdi architecture at concéntrico 10
syn architects presents Open Segments at Concéntrico 10 | image by Laurian Ghinitoiu

 

 

Concéntrico returned to Logroño, Spain, for its tenth edition from April 25th to May 1st, envisioning the future of cities and the lessons learned about urban processes — from incorporating new formats to integrating publics, and facing challenges that explore time as a factor of change in urban and social design.

syn architects' burlap and wood pavilion evokes najdi architecture at concéntrico 10
the pavilion evokes the essence of Najdi architecture | image by Josema Cutillas


a cluster of volumes dot the site | image by Laurian Ghinitoiu

syn architects' burlap and wood pavilion evokes najdi architecture at concéntrico 10
wrapped in wooden columns and fabric produced from regional flora and fauna | image by Laurian Ghinitoiu

syn architects' burlap and wood pavilion evokes najdi architecture at concéntrico 10
reimagining the courtyard house typology for the public realm | image by Josema Cutillas

open-segments-syn-architects-concentrico-designboom-full4

image by Josema Cutillas

syn architects' burlap and wood pavilion evokes najdi architecture at concéntrico 10
the rectilinear units recall the neighborhoods in Saudi Arabia’s Najd region | image by Josema Cutillas

syn architects' burlap and wood pavilion evokes najdi architecture at concéntrico 10
a series of fragments and openings | image by Sara Cuerdo


the pavilion invites exploration and play | image by Josema Cutillas


image by Josema Cutillas

open-segments-syn-architects-concentrico-designboom-full3

image by Laurian Ghinitoiu

 

project info:

 

name: Open Segments

location: Patio COAR, Logroño, Spain

architects: syn architects

commissioner: Ithra

program: Concéntrico

dates: April 25th — May 1st, 2024

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concéntrico 10 visualizes the future of cities with twenty interventions in logroño, spain https://www.designboom.com/architecture/concentrico-10-visualizes-future-cities-twenty-interventions-logrono-spain-04-26-2024/ Fri, 26 Apr 2024 10:30:39 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1061123 these intervention feature the renaturalisation of public spaces, rethinking the urban kiosk as a means of celebrating the city and a new bench that invites movement.

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Concéntrico 10 presents 20 interventions across Logroño

 

From April 25 to May 1, 2024, Concéntrico celebrates its tenth edition in Logroño, Spain, by inviting us to visualize the future of cities and the lessons learned about urban processes — from incorporating new formats to integrating publics, and facing challenges that explore time as a factor of change in urban and social design. Concéntrico 10 presents an extensive program with 20 interventions, as well as meetings and activities, involving more than 100 professionals from 17 different nationalities. These intervention feature proposals for the renaturalisation of public spaces, rethinking the urban kiosk as a means of celebrating the city, recycling by incorporating textiles from previous editions, a new bench that invites movement or recovering the idea of housing under the gaze of an equestrian statue. Together, these processes ‘lead us to imagine the everyday from the real to the unreal,’ writes the program team.


Jardín gráfico by Malte Martin | image © Josema Cutillas 

 

 



Since 2015, the festival has carried out more than 120 urban installations, with the 2024 proposals landing at Concéntrico 10 by: Willem de Haan, Sara Ricciardi Studio, Soft Baroque, Muoto + Georgi Stanishev, Agence Spatiale, Corvin Cristian, Outpost Office, Malte Martin, KOSMOS, RaivioBumann, SYN architects, Alei Verspoor + Esdir, Fred Sancère-Encore Heureux architectes, make it rain, Traffic Design, Esd Madrid, Javier García, ji architects + Blas Antón, JBVA + Eugenio Nuzzo + Anatole Poirier + Alex Roux, Daryan Knoblauch.

 As a novelty, the tenth edition launches two special projects with the French designer Matali Crasset and the Spanish artist Maider López, which will be developed in 20 educational centers throughout Spain in the 2024/25 school year. 

 

Within the social component developed for Concéntrico, partnerships have been established with several educational centers, allowing the installations to remain in their courtyards once the festival is over. The projects are carried out in collaboration with the art and school network PLANEA, an initiative of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation, and the Government of La Rioja through the Centro Riojano de Innovación Educativa. Read on as we outline the works on show at Concéntrico 10. 


Off-Season Pavilion by KOSMOS | image © Josema Cutillas

 

 

rounding up this year’s highlights

 

OFF-SEASON PAVILION

architect: KOSMOS

location: Plaza Santiago

 

As an alternative to the resource-excessive and short-term architecture of temporary festivals, the Off-Season Pavilion by architecture practice KOSMOS proposes to search for the locally available resources of Logroño and give them a new temporary life outside of their productive cycle. The installation reveals the hidden materials of the local agricultural industry: the so-called ‘jaulones de vino,’ huge metal cages uses to store wine bottles used in big ‘bodegas’. These storage cubes boast a very clear seasonal temporality: completely full of bottles in one part of the year and completely empty and unused in the other one, which, in this case, luckily coincides with the time of the Concentrico Festival. With its stepped roof, the pavilion typologically resembles an agricultural shed and a traditional basilica, referring to both productive/labor and social/spiritual practices. Placed on a platform next to the Church of Santiago el Real, it offers shade and a place for gathering. Golden meshes of the cages create an intricate play of light and shadows and transform the space into a maze of dematerialized rooms.


image © Josema Cutillas

 

 

THE WALL

team: MUOTO and Georgi Stanishev

location: Plaza del Revellín

 

The Wall is located in a historical site of the city where the Calle Marqués de San Nicolás, a segment of the Camino de Santiago, meets an ancient defensive wall that used to surround the city. Their encounter is marked by a small rectangular plaza with a missing side and regularly crossed by pilgrims. The aim here is close the plaza to create an urban alcove, a room without a roof, where pilgrims can settle temporarily and take rest in the shade. The structure unfolds as a pile of cinder block and wooden palette, inspired by the typical storage of cinder blocks in cement factories. This layered construction emphasizes the temporality of the design as much as it ensures the stability of the wall. To lighten the structure, one side of the wall is hollowed, with braced wooden crosses replacing the cinder blocks. The platform allows to recreate a horizontal surface absorbing the slope of the existing paved ground, and to provide seating for visitors. The position of the wall in its urban context also provides the installation with a theater-like dimension, as the inverted T-shape structure may be perceived as a stage for actors and performers.


image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

 

 

PUBLIC MONUMENT

artist: Willem de Haan 

location: Paseo del Espolón 

 

The iconic monument of General Espartero in the Paseo del Espolón seems to be inhabited. Replacing the monument’s pedestal for a humble private home is Dutch artist Willem de Haan’s attempt to personally relate to an otherwise inaccessible stately presentation of the historic local figure. The temporary sculpture at Concéntrico 10 playfully questions the role of honorary statues in public space, as it directly combines the aesthetics of horification with a relatable scene out of everyday life.


image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

 

 

PUBLIC UTILITIES 

architect: Outpost Office

location: Plaza 1º Mayo 

 

In the Plaza Primero de Mayo, a large-scale drawing by Outpost Office covers the entire square, inspired by the movement of people at all scales. The drawing is based on the dance instructions and urban markings used by construction companies to mark the building sites in the city. Public Utilities features broken colored lines, drawn at multiple scales, that meander through the square, giving visitors the choice on how to use them: some will follow the paths through the square, others will dance and contort their bodies. Seemingly complex but easy to draw, the drawing is proposed  as a tool to modify the codes of use of the playgrounds in two educational centers: IES Batalla de Clavijo and CEIP Duquesa de la Victoria. Based on simple instructions, the strategy encourages pupils to think about their environment. Will they design a game based on paths? Will they create a path that connects parts of their playground? Do their paths indicate places that are important to them? How will they address issues of scale, color and design?


image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

 

 

JARDÍN GRÁFICO

designer: Malte Martin

location: Parque Felipe VI

 

Graphic designer and plastician Malte Martin presents a poetic reading of urban space and landscapes with Jardin gráfico. This plastic intervention located at Parque Felipe VI offers visitors a sign from afar, a dynamic landscape sculpture that once can walk through, a playful garden where children can play. 

 

concentrico-10-designboom-full-1

image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

 

MAKE IT RAIN

team: Quentin Gérard, Guillaume Deman, Elisabeth Terrisse de Botton, Matthieu Brasebin

location: Museo de La Rioja

 

Make it rain bases its strategy on the cooling of cities in the midst of the climate crisis thanks to the use of the thermal properties of bricks in contact with water. Within the framework of Concéntrico of limited duration and with no guarantee of rain, it works with the water of the Ebro as the source of the project, imagining the collection of water as a collective and participatory moment. The proposal is installed in the courtyard of the Museo de la Rioja, a paved space exposed to the sun and protected from the wind. The design team inhabits it in an informal environment composed of a brick floor, a textile to protect it from the sun and a well to store the water recovered from the river. Like a garden, a series of watering cans are available to wet the bricks to refresh the space. The courtyard becomes a space conditioned according to needs, capable of interaction, which uses a series of elements that are as unmanufactured as possible for future reuse and reinterprets methods of traditional and vernacular architecture to improve thermal comfort.


image © Josema Cutillas

 

 

SCENIUS 26003

architect: Daryan Knoblauch

locations: Beti Jai / Duquesa de la Victoria / La Glorieta

 

Concéntrico 10 has launched La calle a 10 años (The street in 10 years) with Porto Academy, a program that promotes the transformation of the way cities are built by introducing the time factor into the design strategy. The winning project the four finalist strategies from BeAr, Matilde Cassani, DF_DC and salazarsequeromedina, present projects that answer the question ‘What could a street look like if it were transformed with a ten-year strategy? This initiative promotes a more organic and participatory approach to the design of public spaces, highlighting the importance of dialogue and experimentation in building more inclusive and resilient cities.

 

Scenius 26003, Daryan Knoblauch’s winning proposal for the 10-year street program seeks to strengthen local identity and encourage diversity and care in urban development through interaction with the community and in-depth analysis of urban dynamics.  The first act of the proposal takes place at the tenth edition with the temporary intervention Megaphone, an element that will reappear annually until 2034 as a symbol of communication and change. This space offers meetings, conferences or workshops, facilitating community participation in urban design


image © Josema Cutillas

 

 

CITERNE-LIT

team: Fred Sancère and Encore Heureux Architectes

location: Plaza San Bartolomé

 

Sited in Plaza San Bartolomé, the Citerne-Lit by Fred Sancère and Encore Heureux Architectes is described as a ‘camouflage project’ that turns an object from the world of agriculture into a cocoon program for an overnight stay in the heart of nature. It borrows as much from the world of the farmer as from that of the space capsule or even that of the unusual or experiential habitat to offer a different kind of overnight stay in an objet d’art. In deliberate contrast to the exterior, the interior houses a comfortable bed and offers a cozy nest-like space.


image © Josema Cutillas

 

 

PALO DE MAYO

team: JBVA and Eugenio Nuzzo, Anatole Poirier, Alex Roux

location: Concha del Espolón

 

In the square of the Parc del Espolón, a tree has disappeared from the grid. What happened to it? Why hasn’t it been replanted? Starting from an anecdotal observation, Palo de Mayo appropriates this void into an opportunity. It acts as the point of convergence of all the existing urban situations nearby; like a synthesis of the ingredients that make up this urban fragment. The freshness of the fountain at the Monumento al general Espartero, the soundscape of the Concha, the shifting lights of the peripheral roads. The verticality and materiality of the Palo de Mayo is on the same scale as the city. ‘Our proposal is an invitation to party, gather and exchange. It’s a celebration of the city as we dream it, as we conceive it. It’s an architecture around which we all converge, no interior space or orientation, here the entire space of the city is an infinite pavilion,’ writes the team. 


image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

 

 

CUADERNO DE SURCOS

team: ji arquitectos and Blas Antón

location: Viña Lanciano

 

Cuaderno de Surcos by ji arquitectos and Blas Antón comes to life as a Visual Landscape on the natural lines drawn by vineyards of Viña Lanciano: furrows. ‘It is about reinterpreting the natural landscape from the innate intuition. How it has been modified and its relationship with the city,’ says the team. The choice of intervention is made through the participation of Logroño’s children. To this end, Concéntrico has launched a drawing competition for infant, primary, and special education schools to draw flowers, suns, clouds, lightning, rainbows, birds… From all of them, between 10 and 15 drawings are selected for materialization. Once Concéntrico concludes, the wooden pieces will be dismantled and reconverted into urban elements, swings, and games distributed throughout Logroño’s playgrounds.

 

concentrico-10-designboom-full-01

 

discover more participants at concéntrico 10

 

Beyond the highlights, we walk you through the entire pool of participants at Concéntrico 10, starting with

Agence Spatiale‘s Dancing carwash powered by a mysterious choreography. Dance and movement signify joy and celebration and provide a unique experience of the space around us. Traditional Spanish and local dances, such as the stilt dances of Aguiano or flamenco, incorporate hypnotic rotations in their choreography for dancers and spectators alike. Dancing Carwash aims to recreate the experience of these rotations for the visitors. The dresses and bangs of the dancers’ costumes inflate and unfurl during traditional dances. To question this evolving relationship between the volume of objects, the installation appropriates an everyday artifact rooted in our childhood memories: the automatic carwash.


Dancing carwash by Agence Spatiale | image © Josema Cutillas

 

 

Meanwhile, Razzle Dazzle by Sara Ricciardi Studio emerges as a large eye in the camouflage aesthetics of a graphic technique used in war to deceive opponents. The installation asks its citizens for motor dynamism. It asks everyone to be elastic in looking, moving, and thinking, and always to adopt a new perspective of seeing and questioning. ‘The graphics create a visual asymmetrical arrhythmia and are the synthesis of many discussions by journalists who have lost their freedom for expressing their way of communicating social events. Our stage will be activated by Parkour performative actions, a discipline that strongly supports the art of movement using one’s own physical means in space,’ shares the studio. 


Razzle Dazzle by Sara Ricciardi Studio | image © Josema Cutillas

 

 

Fuente by Corvin Cristian expands on the public sphere by revealing a circular fountain with a playful installation in its center: a composition of convex mirrors that convey a zoomorphic figure, which could be an octopus but also an alien or other fantastic being. From the ‘branches’ or ‘arms,’ water runs through a multitude of small nozzles. The mirrors are on rotating axes so people can see the moving reflection of the urban environment, of the social activities and of themselves as well which makes it interactive in a hypnotic visual way. The Fuente is compact and can easily fit into a permanent location, transcending its temporary nature. Permanency is the best sustainability.

 

Another playful object comes to life in Logroño: the Dancing Bench by Soft Baroque. Situated in Parque del Carmen, the installation animates ordinary objects using a mechanism of moving parallel planes. When seated on these pieces, one is encouraged to manually rotate them, creating a surreal combination of an optical illusion and unusual ergonomic sensation.


Fuente by Corvin Cristian | image © Josema Cutillas

 

 

Meanwhile, Dutch textile designer Alei Vespoor lands at Concéntrico 10 with PackBags, a bag and accessory line aiming to visualize a perspective on overconsumption through playful design that encourages intentional consumption. The design system remains as rigid as it is brutally simple —100 modules, providing all you need to design anything you want to pack everything you want. From her Amsterdam studio, Vespoor crafts high-quality, durable materials distributed worldwide. During a two-hour workshop, she will re-purpose Ten years of fabrics and rope used at previous Concéntrico festivals and turn them into a contemporary phone bag, a tote bag, or a cross-body bag so visitors can carry a small part of the history of Concéntrico and the city of Logrono with them every day while contributing to a circular economy.

 

Studio RaivioBumann also makes an appearance with Basic Forms, an interactive installation that challenges the conventional norms of urban design, focusing on disruption and embracing disorder within cities and public places. Basic Forms consists of plywood furniture varying in color and shape, serving as interactive elements that disperse and transform as individuals engage with them, moving and rearranging the pieces to connect shapes and adding new functions and meanings. The spontaneous actions and use of the furniture create new unplanned shapes and arrangements.   


Basic Forms by Studio RaivioBumann | image © Josema Cutillas

 

 

Visual artist Jacek Wielebski from Traffic Design joins the pool of participants with What Comes Through the Wall at Plaza Alonso de Salazar. This research project focuses on elements and objects of public space, which are remnants and ruins, not fulfilling the original function. The idea is to use the old wall, the only remnant after a building that used to be but is gone, and use it to give it a new purpose and new function. To do this, Wielebski opts for another available resource: intense light to create a graphic pattern using a perforated wall over the existing one and copies that decorative element around it with light and shadow. 

 

Furthermore, Riyadh-based SYN Architects develops the Opens Segments modular pavilion at Patio COAR for Concéntrico 10. The project is inspired by the courtyard house, which forms the basic unit of the traditional built environment in the Najd region of Saudi Arabia, which is grouped in clusters or small neighborhoods. The work investigates elements of space-making and ideals such as honoring privacy and encouraging Majlis, such as gatherings. The pavilion is built from wooden planks and spines in a rectilinear form, recalling the courtyard house. The planks are laid vertically along the perimeter, held by a mesh material produced from the region’s natural flora and fauna.


What Comes Through the Wall by Jacek Wielebski | image © Josema Cutillas

 

 

Next up is ¡Saca las sillas! by ESD Madrid.  The intervention proposes a living organism that relies on people to generate their own spaces. Deciding how to relate to each other in public space often depends on the existing urban furniture and the spaces it generates. Users are invited to build a series of objects with which to transform the Library of La Rioja, like an organism that runs through the central courtyard of the building.

 

We complete the round up with the Poplar Assembly by Javier García at Plaza de la Diversidad. The space reveals a row of small and slender poplars, which generate a porous wall by repetition along a sinuous route. As a result, an urban oasis is created which, although defined by the plant curtain, is not isolated. The vegetal perimeter enjoys the great richness of the poplars that make it up. The repetition of the same elements, simultaneously different from each other, allows the air to pass through, acts as a light filter, and exudes peace and tranquillity. The meandering layout fits in between the pre-existing buildings, avoiding the many obstacles in the square and allowing the entrance to the buildings to make it up. This layout is occasionally interrupted to include four doors oriented toward the corners of the square, encouraging diagonal circulation. The large wooden planter is also modified to create a seat next to the trees.

 

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Poplar Assembly by Javier García | image © Josema Cutillas

 

project info:

 

name: Concéntrico 10 | @concentricofestival

location: Logroño, Spain,

participants: Willem de Haan, Sara Ricciardi Studio, Soft Baroque, Muoto + Georgi Stanishev, Agence Spatiale, Corvin Cristian, Outpost Office, Malte Martin, KOSMOS, RaivioBumann, SYN architects, Alei Verspoor + Esdir, Fred Sancère-Encore Heureux architectes, make it rain, Traffic Design, Esd Madrid, Javier García, ji architects + Blas Antón, JBVA + Eugenio Nuzzo + Anatole Poirier + Alex Roux, Daryan Knoblauch

special projects: Matali Crasset, Maider López

viewing dates: April 25 to May 1, 2024,

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step inside oana stănescu’s immersive, strawberry-shaped cocoon in logroño, spain https://www.designboom.com/architecture/oana-stanescu-fresa-strawberry-inspired-installation-concentrico-09-logrono-05-09-2023/ Tue, 09 May 2023 16:01:37 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=989911 nested in plaza santa ana, the oversized, upside-down, and inside-out structure honors strawberry pickers and the estimated 1 million seasonal workers in agriculture across the EU.

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concéntrico 09 presents ‘fresa’ by Oana Stănescu

 

From April 27th to May 2nd, 20203, in Logroño, SpainConcéntrico presented an extensive program for its ninth edition, with 21 interventions, meetings, and activities involving the work of more than 60 professionals from 15 different nationalities. This latest edition extended to new areas of the city, widening the object of its interventions from east to west: from the Plaza sin Nombre in the neighborhood of Madre de Dios to the Cubo; also from north to south: from the river Ebro to the new station park. Since 2015, the festival has carried out more than 100 urban installations, and one of the most eye-grabbing interventions this year, ‘Fresa’, belongs to Romanian architect Oana Stănescu — a strawberry-inspired structure that brings color and childlike wonder to the historical Plaza Santa Ana. 


all images © Josema Cutillas -Concéntrico 

 

 

an oversized, upside-down, and inside-out strawberry

 

An ode to the fruit, the earth, and the people that help bring this beloved fruit to the table and our lips, ‘Fresa’ by Oana Stănescu (see more here) is inspired by and dedicated to the strawberry pickers and estimated 1 million seasonal workers in agriculture across the EU. The intervention, supported by the Instituto Cultural Rumano of Madrid, unfolds as an oversized, upside-down, and inside-out strawberry nested in Logroño’s Plaza Santa Ana against the backdrop of Iglesia de Santa María de Palacio and the Parque infantil.

 

Material-wise, the architect opted for a soft plywood exoskeleton that gently contrasts with the smooth stone textures of the surrounding buildings. Complementing the wooden framework is a red-colored fabric enclosing the interiors of ‘Fresa’. Stănescu describes the experience as one steps inside her installation: ‘A small opening asks us to bow to discover the strawberry-like interior: a soft red cocoon with seed-shaped light rays. A rich and peaceful introverted space, foreign to the outside world. The structure cantilevers over Calle Marqués de San Nicolás, a contrasting tease visible from far ahead.’ Once seated inside, visitors also get to enjoy the playful movement of passing silhouettes. 


‘Fresa’ takes shape as an inverted, oversized, inside-out strawberry in Plaza Santa Ana

 

 

Oana Stănescu is a Romanian architect currently building in North America and Europe. Her studio’s work is, as she calls it, an ‘undisciplined’ collection of projects across scales, programs, and collaborators, always in the pursuit of the affect of physical space. She is based in New York and Berlin. Current projects of hers under construction include the reconversion of a ½ km long bridge in Reșița, Romania, a very long house in Canada, and an attic in the South of France. In addition, Stănescu is teaching at Harvard GSD and MIT in Cambridge, USA. 


Oana Stănescu uses a soft plywood exoskeleton combined with a reddish fabric cover


creating seed-shaped light patterns


a rich and peaceful experience once inside

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a small opening coaxes visitors to step into the cocoon

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project info:

 

name: Fresa

location: Plaza Santa Ana, Logroño, Spain 

architecture: Oana Stănescu

program: Concéntrico 09 | @concentricofestival

supported by: Instituto Cultural Rumano | @institutoculturalrumano

photography: Josema Cutillas 

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from ephemeral pool to mobile library: a look at concéntrico’s 9th edition projects https://www.designboom.com/architecture/concentrico-09-interventions-logrono-spain-04-09-2023/ Sun, 09 Apr 2023 15:30:08 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=981811 from april 27th to may 2nd, 20203, in logroño, concéntrico presents an extensive program for its ninth edition, with 21 interventions, meetings, and activities.

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21 interventions landing at concéntrico 09 

 

From April 27th to May 2nd, 20203, in Logroño, SpainConcéntrico presents an extensive program for its ninth edition, with 21 interventions, meetings, and activities involving the work of more than 60 professionals from 15 different nationalities. In its development, Concéntrico 09 is integrating numerous groups and entities promoting new collective practices in public space, from the local level: educational centers like IES Sagasta, IES Batalla de Clavijo, CEIP Las Gaunas, or social entities associated with Logroño Intercultural and the Rafael Azcona Library, among others.


‘PUL: Urban Pool Square in Logroño’ by  meii estudio, Clara Torregrosa, Gabriel Millán

 all images courtesy Concéntrico

 

 

Concéntrico 09 (see more here) extends to new areas of the city, widening the object of its interventions from east to west: from the Plaza sin Nombre in the neighborhood of Madre de Dios to the Cubo; also from north to south: from the river Ebro to the new station park. Locations and programs such as Cities Ahead with Goethe-Institut provide a constantly evolving listening to continue raising debates about the city. These shared practices extend the temporality of Concéntrico. Specifically, Hollmén Reuter Sandman’s Birdhouses intervention, which opened in mid-March, facilitates birds’ nesting in La Glorieta del Doctor Zubia and will coexist in the central park until the end of August.

 

Since 2015, the festival has carried out more than 100 urban installations, with the following new proposals landing at Concéntrico 09 in 2023: Barkow Leibinger, Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects, Oana Stănescu, Recetas Urbanas (Santiago Cirugeda + Alice Attout), Didier Fiúza Faustino, Os Espacialistas, Studio Ossidiana, Design With Company, Pool is Cool and Dallas, Architecture Uncomfortable Workshop, Marc Morro, Un parell d’arquitectes, Paloma Cañizares, meii estudio and Clara Torregrosa, Gabriel Millán, Jennyfher Alvarado and Alvaro Gonzalez, Daniel Hambly, Frantoio sociale and Hypereden, Catalystas Collective, Vanesa Peña and Carlos Herraiz, Escuela Superior de Diseño de La Rioja.


‘A Raised Table in the Landscape’ by Jennyfher Alvarado & Álvaro González

 

 

uncovering this year’s SELECTED projects 

 

PUL: URBAN POOL SQUARE IN LOGROÑO

team: meii estudio, Clara Torregrosa, Gabriel Millán 

location: Plaza Escuelas Trevijano

 

PUL is a new urban swimming pool in Logroño — versatile and where rules do not apply; what is sought instead is spontaneity and free appropriation of its interior space. This ephemeral pool will be located in the Plaza de las Escuelas Trevijano, integrating with the existing elements and surrounding a large central tree. The square and its urban furniture are rigid and have a defined functionality; they are designed for transit and brief stops, becoming an unfriendly space for social relations. The new urban swimming pool in Logroño aims to enclose a piece of the square to create a uniquely peaceful public space, a cocoon for leisure and care.

 

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‘PUL: Urban Pool Square in Logroño’ at Plaza Escuelas Trevijano

 

A RAISED TABLE IN THE LANDSCAPE

team: Jennyfher Alvarado, Álvaro González

location: Viña Lanciano

 

A red carpet transitions from the landscape to a domestic found space; behind the curtain will appear a raised table, where visitors can gather to share an experience through the senses and create links with the context. Recesses in the façade will reflect the movement of the interior. Still, without competing with the importance of the landscape, these views are framed with a subtle red ribbon, linking the ever-present context to the activity within. Smells permeate the interior of the space, delicate notes referring to the quality of the product and familiar past experiences around a table.’


‘A Raised Table in the Landscape’

 

 

BAYAN URBAN

architect: Daniel Hambly 

location: Parque Felipe VI

 

This proposal uses the site of Parque Felipe VI as an amphitheater and transport hub, taking advantage of the multiple infrastructure layers directly below and around the stage. Hambly proposes to create a van or accordion. Motion sensors located in the enclosure will drive the instrument’s motors, allowing air to pass through the flutes. Each note or chord will be assigned different types of movement. The natural rhythms of these movements will come together to create melodies and sounds that will become unique to that time and place.


‘Bayan Urban’ by Daniel Hambly

 

 

CANTIERE APERTO: A COLLECTIVE URBAN PRACTICE

team: Hypereden, Frantoio Sociale 

location: Paseo del Espolón

program: Cities Ahead / Goethe Institut 

 

Led by Milan-based Hypereden and Frantoio Sociale, this collective practice with local organizations promotes the collaborative construction of urban artifacts by demolishing and transforming waste materials. More importantly, it encourages local communities to act in public space, expressing their needs and dreams. In Logroño, the collective is carrying out its mission with the active participation, both in the design and construction phases, of a community of young skaters on the Paseo del Espolón, a central urban space where skateboarding and the collective experience of public space have been consolidated. ‘The objective will be, precisely during the days of the festival, to design and build a series of elements that, combined, will form a playful environment that expands the actions of the skater activity that already takes place in the square,’ notes the team.


‘Cantiere Aperto: A Collective Urban Practice’ by Hypereden & Frantoio Sociale

 

 

THE MOBILE LIBRARY OF WOMEN’S LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

studioCatalystas Collective 

location: Biblioteca Rafael Azcona

program: Cities Ahead / Goethe Institut 

 

The mobile library is a process of valuing and enhancing the local knowledge of the citizens of Logroño. Based on local explorations of habits, rituals, and customs, the mobile library will travel around the city and temporarily activate different public spaces. By bringing together diverse knowledge, the Catalystas Collective engages in learning, exchange, and empowerment while opening up a platform for women to gather and express their thoughts and knowledge about the city.

 

concentrico-09-designboom-full-1

‘A Raised Table in the Landscape’

 

LOGOMAQUIAS

team: Vanesa Peña, Carlos Herraiz

location: Paseo del Espolón

program: Cities Ahead / Goethe Institut 

 

Starting from two antagonistic experiences about stuttering (the fact of having it on the part of artist Carlos Herráiz and of not having it on the part of curator Vanesa Peña), the workshop titled ‘Logomaquias’ proposes ‘an artistic collaboration that uses the question of chewing gum as an aesthetic from which to start a reflection on the communicative disfluencies in contemporary society‘. More specifically, it will offer visitors a walk through Logroño, where the participants will collectivize their impressions about speech and communication.


‘Logomaquias’ by Vanesa Peña & Carlos Herraiz

 

 

discover all the participants at concéntrico 09

 

Beyond the six winning teams of Concéntrico 09, we walk you through the total pool of participants — starting with Design with Company‘s ‘Stone Wall Stand In’ at Plaza del Revellín. The project unfolds as a large billboard that represents and rewrites the city of Logroño. Like a paper souvenir cut to scale 1:1, the giant drawing brings to life the history and materiality of the Plaza. ‘A narrow sloping wall that invites you to discover places to hide, explore or simply rest and chat with others. The old and the new collide with the real and the representative to generate places for playful opportunities for participation and a unique perspective of the historic environment,’ comments the studio.

 

Next is the ‘Siluroño’ project by Pool is Cool & collectif dallas.  As part of a cross-cutting process ongoing for years, the team from Brussels will recover the Piovenefabi intervention of 2022 and install it at Parque del Ebro. ‘They have asked us to keep it dismantled because, as if it were a matryoshka, they are going to build a new intervention in 2023 with all the pieces from the last edition. In this way, the relevant color in a strawberry tone and its curved shapes will come back to life to inspire the new form: an imaginary fish of the river Ebro as it passes through Logroño, which will be a children’s playground with a great social spirit,’ writes the duo. 


‘Stone Wall Stand In’ by Design with Company

 

 

At Paseo del Espolón, Portugal-based Didier Fiúza Faustino will launch ‘Me Como el Mundo, configured as a mobile device that offers people a forum in public space to speak to a physical audience. ‘Climbing a staircase from backstage, anyone can come out into the light and play any role they want: guru, social activist, stand-up actor, singer, poet… The intervention underlines the importance of physical relationships and breaks with the illusion of fame that sustains the digital world,‘ shares the artist.

 

Meanwhile, Finnish architectural studio Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects spotlights sensitivity to the environment, materials, and landscape by re-inhabiting La Glorieta, the city’s central park. An analysis of the site and species research with local ornithologists results in an intervention incorporating 24 bird boxes to recover migrating birds from March onwards. The project deseasonalizes the Concéntrico proposals, as it will remain until August to facilitate nesting throughout the season. In addition, the studio will work with IES Sagasta and its Biology students on the most frequent species of birds and bats in the roundabout. The students will document each species, make observations and take photographs. 


‘Me Como el Mundo’ by Didier Fiúza Faustino

 

 

At Plaza de San Bartolomé, ‘The Garden of Intersections’ will come to life as a series of sandboxes designed by Rotterdam-based Studio Ossidiana. The project will then move on to the Las Gaunas school where, for two weeks in April, teachers will be carrying out different activities using the installation as a vehicle to talk about territory and pigments (the sandboxes incorporate different soils from La Rioja) and also about the city, as the intervention is reminiscent of heritage. This intervention ‘is a sum of spaces that speaks of territory, pigments, layers of history of a variable temporality. Poetic and evocative, the ensemble reformulates the heritage -almenas, minarets, arches, and windows- inviting to play in confusion between imagination and reality,‘ notes the studio.

 

On the other hand, like his work, furniture designer Marc Morro’s intervention proposes an honest language: an improvised tennis court in the middle of Logroño’s Town Hall square, Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Dubbed ‘Center Court, the project is a fleeting exercise that reimagines the more private sport of tennis courts amid a public space. ‘To put it in context, or rather out of context, the court is placed in the middle of a square made with a scaffolding structure, emphasizing its ephemeral and street-like character. A space for play, meeting, and decontextualization,’ explains Morro. 

 

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‘The Garden of Intersections’ by Studio Ossidiana at Plaza de San Bartolomé

 

Another eye-opening intervention will occur at the Plaza Sin Nombre, signed by French designer Camille Walala. Known for her large-scale interventions, Walala is inspired by community and collaboration and the power of color and design to transform atmospheres, elevate moods, and awaken positivity. Her proposal for Concéntrico 09, ‘Throwing Shade’, re-signifies the Plaza Sin Nombre, a place that has not been ‘baptized in the eastern part of the city, an area claimed by the neighborhood as a meeting hub for the neighborhood’s diverse culture.

 

In line with awakening spirits, ‘Camp la Leçon de Rome’ by Os Espacialistas is a poetic, architectural, and sculptural camp of a performative nature. The installation is defined by the five geometric figures of Le Corbusier’s ‘Lesson of Rome,’ transformed into tents installed in Plaza del Mercado, in light of its history and the recent memory of the political occupation that took place there in the form of gatherings. ‘Under the influence of the Camp style and Modulor measurements, we will witness the playful, physical, conceptual, and immaterial dialogue between the Cathedral of Santa María de La Redonda and the five pure geometric bodies proposed: the cylinder, the pyramid, the cube, the parallelepiped, and the sphere, with various programmatic characters,’ elaborates the team.


‘Throwing Shade’ by Camille Walala

 

 

At Patio del Coar, the ‘Silk Pavilion’ by Spanish designer Paloma Cañizare will take shape as the first project of reinforced fabrics, an investigation into the structural possibilities of textiles. ‘If we understand the structure of the fabric as the armature of a forging, stiffening it and folding it, we can achieve a self-supporting surface of extraordinary slenderness and lightness,’ notes Cañizare.

 

An ode to fruit, to the land, and to the people who help bring it to the table, to our lips, the next project is named ‘Fresa’ — inspired by and dedicated to the strawberry pickers and the one million seasonal agricultural workers throughout the EU. In the Plaza de Santa Ana, with the Church of Santa María de Palacio and the Children’s Park as a backdrop, a large strawberry by Romanian architect Oana Stanescu has been placed upside down. ‘The soft plywood exoskeleton contrasts with the smooth stone textures. A small opening beckons us to lean in to discover the strawberry-shaped interior: a soft red cocoon with rays of light in the shape of a seed. An introverted, rich, and peaceful space, oblivious to the outside world.’


‘Silk Pavilion’ by Paloma Cañizare

 

 

Returning to historical events, the Spanish duo Santiago Cirugeda and Alice Attout from Recetas Urbanas is bringing their project ‘La rebelión del Crazy Army’ to the surroundings of the IES Batalla de Clavijo Secondary School. The intervention unites all high school levels in a collective strategy that will attempt to ‘storm’ the center from the outside using walkways, Trojan horses, mobile towers, zip lines, etc. These joint constructions will be coordinated by different technicians, teachers, and advisors, who will collaborate in the process and the assembly, including some members of the Lakalle Association. ‘Thus, teenagers become the main actors and propose alternative ways of using public spaces in connection with the Batalla,‘ adds the studio.

 

Mirroring the PUL urban pool, ‘Fuente Urbana’ by Un Parell d’Arquitectes recovers the fountain as a symbol of urbanity. ‘The fountain was the last link in the art of domesticating water and bringing it into the city before it reached the houses’ tap. An architecture, recurrently lavish, which played a decisive role in the urban configuration and had the capacity to build a place for social encounters and relationships. An ephemeral fountain reconfigures the crossroads between the Plaza de San Agustín and Calle Portales, constructing an altarpiece where water, reflections, and sound stimulate the exercise of contemplation in the public space and alter the atmosphere of the place,’ the studio outlines. 

 

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‘Tensegrity Späti’ by Barkow Leibinger at the surrounding area of Church of Santiago

 

The last three Concéntrico 09 projects unfold as follows: the ‘Uylenspiegel’s car factory’ by Architecture Uncomfortable Workshop — a whimsical space that takes visitors back to childhood and play at Museo de La Rioja; ‘Supergráfica’, an installation designed by students of the ESDIR Supergraphic course, modifying an exterior space through a giant roof with the vocation of being infinite; and lastly, the ‘Tensegrity Späti’ concept by German studio Barkow Leibinger comes alive as ‘rigid linear elements float weightlessly in space held in tension by steel cables or rope. Seemingly defying gravity, these structures are configurable, lightweight, and in equilibrium; next to the access to Santiago Church, a sustainable prototype is proposed to generate a common space with a low impact on its development.’


‘Fresa’ by Oana Stanescu


‘Camp la Leçon de Rome’ by Os Espacialistas

concentrico-09-designboom-full-5

‘Throwing Shade’

 

project info:

 

name: Concéntrico 09 festival | @concentricofestival

location: Logroño, Spain 

running dates: April 27 – May 2, 2023 

pariticipants: Barkow Leibinger, Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects, Oana Stănescu, Recetas Urbanas (Santiago Cirugeda + Alice Attout), Didier Fiúza Faustino, Os Espacialistas, Studio Ossidiana, Design With Company, Pool is Cool + Dallas, Architecture Uncomfortable Workshop, Marc Morro, Un parell d´arquitectes, Paloma Cañizares, meii estudio + Clara Torregrosa, Gabriel Millán, Jennyfher Alvarado + Alvaro Gonzalez, Daniel Hambly, Frantoio sociale + Hypereden, Catalystas Collective, Vanesa Peña + Carlos Herraiz, Escuela Superior de Diseño de La Rioja.

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rintala eggertsson architects’ hiber space for concéntrico evokes effortless beauty of nature https://www.designboom.com/design/rintala-eggertsson-architects-hiber-space-concentrico-pavilion-spain-09-21-2022/ Tue, 20 Sep 2022 22:15:51 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=930081 the project invites visitors to contemplate, relax and appreciate the everyday beauty of nature that is often taken for granted.

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the ‘Hiber Space’ by Rintala Eggertsson Architects 

 

Rintala Eggertsson Architects nestles ‘Hiber Space’ installation into the lush of a popular urban park in Logroño, Spain. Exhibited as part of the Concéntrico festival, the structure takes shape as a wooden pavilion made of recycled plywood that almost disappears into its green setting.

 

Located along the banks of the river Evros, the project invites visitors to contemplate, relax and appreciate the everyday beauty of nature that is often taken for granted. The flow of the river evokes the passing of time that entails the choices we are called upon to make day by day and the impact they have on the surroundings.

rintala eggertsson architects's hiber space for concentrico evokes the effortless beauty of natureall images by Josema Cutillas, unless stated otherwise

video ©designboom, video shoots by Blanco en Botella

 

 

observing the ‘simple reality that surrounds us’

 

The ‘Hiber Space’ by Rintala Eggertsson Architects (see more here) is a gathering space that reminds visitors of the effortless beauty hidden in simple everyday things. The flow of the river reflects the time that flees, and visitors are invited to observe this serene setting and enjoy the ‘simple reality that surrounds us’. The sun rays bounce between the leafy trees and cast enchanting shadows on the walls of the pavilion. This project is a request for all of us to appreciate nature and take better care of our surroundings.

 

‘The flow of the river is a reminder of the time that passes and how the choices we make today influence the flow down the stream all the way to estuaries and the global ocean, the future,’ shares the team.rintala eggertsson architects's hiber space for concentrico evokes the effortless beauty of natureimage ©designboom | a wooden pavilion for contemplation and reflection

 

 

‘The world is interconnected, from small mountain streams high up to the depths of the sea. The Greek and the Romans called this mighty river Hibēr or Iber, giving the name for the whole Iberian peninsula and the Iberian people. This linguistic fact underlines the great symbolic importance of the river and that it should be noticed, visited, and discussed more often.’

rintala eggertsson architects's hiber space for concentrico evokes the effortless beauty of nature

made of recycled plywood

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visitors enjoy the cooling shade under the leafy trees

image ©designboom | observing the everyday beauty and simple reality that surrounds us

 image ©designboom

 

 

 

concéntrico is the international architecture and design festival of logroño, spain, that proposes to reflect on the urban environment and the city. founded by architect, curator and researcher javier peña ibáñez, the festival invites visitors to explore the city through installations, encounters, activities, and exhibitions that discuss public space and places of coexistence with a focus on the sustainability of materials and processes.

 

 

project info:

 

name: The Hiber Space

architect: Rintala Eggertsson Architects

location: Ebro River, Logroño, Spain

festival: Concéntrico 08 Festival

curator: Javier Peña Ibáñez

 

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concéntrico festival animates logroño’s streets with numerous eye-popping installations https://www.designboom.com/design/concentrico-festival-animates-logrono-streets-numerous-eye-popping-installations-09-14-2022/ Wed, 14 Sep 2022 20:01:00 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=927156 stimulating installations for the concéntrico festival arouses curiosity, welcomes the user to enjoy and unwind and sometimes brings out their dormant inner child.

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creative installations take over concéntrico 08 festival

 

Concéntrico is Logroño‘s International Festival of Architecture and Design, curated by Javier Peña Ibáñez and held annually since 2015. The Festival invites visitors to wander around the venues, squares, and streets of the city that usually go unnoticed and discover installations and artworks that were created by talented architects and designers with environmental sensibilities. Rintala Eggertsson Architects, Matali Crasset, Konstantin Grcic, Associates Architecture, Collective X, Paweł Grobelny, and Tudor Vlăsceanu, among others, are some of the creators whose work arouses curiosity, welcomes the user to enjoy and unwind and sometimes brings out their dormant inner child.

 

The structures double as gathering places where people of all ages can interact and participate in different activities, performances, and talks. This year saw the eighth edition of Concéntrico, with numerous creative pieces scattered across the Spanish city. See more about Grcic’s ‘Arenas’, a public installation that consists of three circular structures, in our previous article here, and Crasset’s ‘Dark Sky / Cielo Oscuro’ installation with an owl-like appearance, here19 creative installations take over logroño city for concéntrico 08 festival all images by Josema Cutillas ©Concéntrico | made of recycled plywood and natural stones found around the existing trees

 

 

The ‘Hiber Space’ by Rintala Eggertsson Architects

 

The ‘Hiber Space’ by Rintala Eggertsson Architects (see more here) takes shape as a pavilion nestled in an urban park in La Rioja. Its body of recycled plywood and natural stones almost disappears in the lush surroundings. The structure invites visitors to contemplate, relax and appreciate the everyday beauty of nature that is often taken for granted. Located along the river, it evokes the passing of time that entails the choices we are called upon to make day by day and the impact they have on the surroundings.

the flow of the river is a reminder of the time that passes

 

 

Paweł Grobelny’s ‘shadows’

 

The project by Pawel Grobelny (see more here) materializes as linear benches settled in a strict sequence. Each bench’s edge is anchored to a slender column of the town hall building designed by the renowned Spanish architect Rafael Moneo. From a bird’s view, the pieces can be perceived as shadows of the existing columns or as extensions, as they share the same color and length. Apart from visual play, the designer sought to create social interaction. ‘This project, like many of my realizations, attaches to existing architecture. I always try to place my projects silently into a given space so that it is a spatial and functional complement to a given public space,’ comments the designer.

the project attaches to existing architecture, creating a visual continuation

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the benches are the same color as the columns and their length is the same as the height of columns

 

 

Collective X’s ‘archetype of the house’ 

 

‘The archetype of the house’ designed by Collective X (see more here), refers to the common form of a box-like house with a gable roof. A series of seven-sided polyhedrons (gabled houses) are positioned next to each other while each shares the same cut-out that creates a path to the surrounding scenery of Viña Lanciano. The aim of this installation was to generate a relaxing space where visitors could contemplate and emphasize the coexistence between artificial and natural.

the installation seeks to develop a reflective and contemplative atmosphere with respect to the contact between man and nature

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Half Void Full Moon by Piovenefabi

 

Piovenefabi (see more here) has designed ‘Half Void Full Moon’, a 3 km long path that flees the city center of Logrono and wanders along the nearest countryside. It touches, in order of appearance: the city cemetery and crematorium, a carpet of collective orchards, scattered bushes and rocks, two hostels for peregrines with public seats, a big shed, vineyards and bushes again. A simple roof provides shelter from the weather, while an inflatable helium balloon marks the site from a distance and diffuses a gentle light over the esplanade. ‘The half void is our way to inhabit the wilderness around Logroño,’ shares the designer.

an inflatable helium balloon marks the site from a distance

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a wooden amphitheatre supports personal experiences as collective ones.

 

 

a green portal by Associates Architecture at concéntrico

 

Designed by Associates Architecture (see more here), ‘Extra-Ordinary Gate’ is located in one of the most historically significant sites of the city, Plaza del Revellín. As its name reveals, the wooden structure emerges as a gate through the walls of the city. Behind the wall, the design team inserted a temporary staircase transforming the square into an open-air theater. The project oscillates between movement and inertia; one element ask you to enter, and the other invites you to linger.19 creative installations take over logroño city for concéntrico 08 festival

the portal recalls the image of the temporary portals, built in the city of Logroño, during the Fiesta de San Bernabé as well as the shape of the nearby gate of Revellín

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House with 4 Palms by Tudor Vlăsceanu at concéntrico

 

Created by Tudor Vlăsceanu (see more here), this installation is positioned in the center of the garden COAR. From afar, the structure exudes a mysterious character with its dark and robust silhouette. From inside, the massive tower unveils another personality. Four large planes lean on each other inwardly, while the gaps between let the viewer’s glance drift away towards the four palms and the sky. ‘There is an act of resistance that allows a different reading of reality.’

the space opens up only towards the four palms and the sky

from inside, a new dimension is demonstrated

 

 

matali crasset’s ‘cielo oscuro’ installation

 

Matali Crasset (see more here) enlivens the Paseo del Espolón park in Logroño, Spain, with her ‘Dark Sky / Cielo Oscuro’ installation. The structure evokes the landing of an owl in the middle of the city. Specifically, the installation comprises a yellow metal framework complete with curved contours and wooden cladding that recall the presence of the nocturnal bird transforming the public space between day and night.

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Dark sky, simulates an owl that has just landed in the middle of the city

 

 

three circular structures by Konstantin Grcic

 

Located at the western tip of Logroño’s Parque Felipe VI, the project by Konstantin Grcir (see more here) encloses three circular structures: a round basketball court, a ring of drums, and a circular array of swings. Each arena invites young and old to gather and engage in a collective activity. It boosts visitors to ‘be active,’ as mentioned by the designer. ‘The flags are the Concéntrico blue. We wanted to associate the installation to the event, but also to give it a festive touch,’ comments Konstantin. 

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‘Arenas’ consists of three circular structures

 

 

concéntrico is the international architecture and design festival of logroño, spain, that proposes to reflect on the urban environment and the city. founded by architect, curator and researcher javier peña ibáñez, the festival invites visitors to explore the city through installations, encounters, activities, and exhibitions that discuss public space and places of coexistence with a focus on the sustainability of materials and processes.

 

 

project info:

 

name: Concéntrico 08 Festival

curator: Javier Peña Ibáñez

designers: ‘Hiber Space’ by Rintala Eggertsson Architects, ‘Shadows’ by Pawel Grobelny, ‘The archetype of the house’ by Collective X, ‘Half Void Full Moon’ by Piovenefabi, ‘Extra-Ordinary Gate’ by Associates Architecture, ‘House with 4 Palms’ by Tudor Vlăsceanu, ‘Arenas’ by Konstantin Grcic, ‘Dark Sky / Cielo Oscuro’ by Matali Crasset, ‘A table’ by AAA, ‘A la mesa!’ by Ander López Alberdi & Sarai Olabarrieta Morales, ‘100 chairs and 3 urban lounges for Logroño’ by Izaskun Chinchilla, ‘Popular Theatre’ by Yemail Arquitectura, ‘The Urban Seedlings’ by BUDCUD, ‘We Tricked Them with Pretty Flowers’ by TABLEAU, ‘Prior’ by S K U L L studio, ‘Intersect’ by Germane Barnes, ‘Inmersivo’ by Clara Alonso, Marta Basterra, Mikel Aguerrea – ESDIR, ‘De-alienating the home’ by Gonzalo Herrero + Pati Santos, ‘SALONES URBANOS’ by Izaskun Chinchilla Architects

location: Logroño, Spain

 

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konstantin grcic’s ‘arenas’ at concéntrico 08 engage young & old in a collective activity https://www.designboom.com/design/konstantin-grcic-arenas-installation-collective-activity-concentrico-festival-09-06-2022/ Tue, 06 Sep 2022 18:35:36 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=926371 three large courts invite visitors to play basketball with friends and neighbors, meet for a musical jam session, or to swing collectively towards the sky. 

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arenas by Konstantin Grcic, as part of the Concéntrico 08

 

On the occasion of the Concéntrico 08 festival in Logroño, Spain, industrial designer Konstantin Grcic has completed ‘Arenas’ public installation. Located at the western tip of Logroño’s Parque Felipe VI, the project encloses three circular structures: a round basketball court, a ring of drums, and a circular array of swings. Each arena invites young and old to gather and engage in a collective activity. It boosts visitors to ‘be active,’ as mentioned by the designer.

 

Konstantin opted for permeable structures made of scaffolding elements that let the surrounding scene spill over the arenas. To add a festive spark to the site, he adorned each structure with blue flags that wave with the wind and emphasize the arena’s circular form. ‘The flags are the Concéntrico blue. We wanted to associate the installation to the event, but also to give it a festive touch,’ comments Konstantin. 

konstantin grcic's 'arenas' at concéntrico 08 engage young & old in a collective activity

image by Josema Cutillas

full header image © designboom

 

 

arenas welcome people of all ages

 

The three structures made by Grcir (see more here) bring new life to Logroño’s Parque Felipe VI, rousing people of all ages to wander around, explore and interact. Three large courts invite visitors to play basketball with friends and neighbors, meet for a musical jam session, or to swing collectively towards the sky. 

 

Integrated into the program of Concéntrico, the structures serve as a platform to host events, performances, and talks.‘The installation provides great freedom for public appropriation,’ shares Concéntrico.

 

With a focus on sustainability, ‘Arenas’ is articulated by materials that can be reused for future events (scaffolding elements) and decorated with recycled materials such as plastic barrels that turned into drums. 

konstantin grcic's 'arenas' at concéntrico 08 engage young & old in a collective activity image by Josema Cutillas

konstantin grcic's 'arenas' at concéntrico 08 engage young & old in a collective activity image by Josema Cutillas

konstantin-grcic-arenas-concentrico-08-installation-logrono-parque-felipe-vi-designboom-1800

image by Josema Cutillas

konstantin grcic's ARENAS engage young & old in a collective activity at concéntrico festivalimage by Josema Cutillas

plastic barrels turned into drums

image © designboom

adorned with blue flags 

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image by Josema Cutillas

the seat of the swings is made of wood 

image by Javier Anton

konstantin-grcic-arenas-concentrico-08-installation-logrono-parque-felipe-vi-designboom-31800

image by Josema Cutillas

image by Javier Anton

double as a venue to host events, performances, and talks

 

 

concéntrico is the international architecture and design festival of logroño, spain, that proposes to reflect on the urban environment and the city. founded by architect, curator and researcher javier peña ibáñez, the festival invites visitors to explore the city through installations, encounters, activities, and exhibitions that discuss public space and places of coexistence with a focus on the sustainability of materials and processes.

 

 

project info:

 

name: Arenas 

designer: Konstantin Grcic

festival: Concéntrico 08

location: Logroño, Spain 

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