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With the solemnity of a temple and the charm of traditional Mediterranean hues, the studio of Spanish architecture firm OOAA Arquitectura is a place where design moves between influences and details. In this virtual studio visit, we preview the sublime workspace in Madrid and chat with founder Iker Ochotorena, who has made warm minimalism and monochromaticity the cornerstone of his practice.
The Spanish architect began his career at a young age and credits his father, also an architect, for his early ambition to be one. “I began to carry out house renovations while still in university, and set up my practice immediately after graduation, in 2011,” he tells us. We are talking over Zoom, with Ochotorena safely cocooned in his office, the gently illuminated beige background behind him putting our gloomy Berlin day to shame. “OOAA stands for Ochotorenas Arquitectos. It’s a classical composition; it looks symmetric but it is not,” he explains, adding, “it is contemporary.” What is immediately clear is that Ochotorena is not a man who embraces eccentric chaos—he is meticulous about order, each word as calibrated as the spaces he designs.
Ochotorena打造了一个集美观与高效于一体的办公空间。位于Hispanoamérica社区的一座翻新后的旧美术馆，这个办公空间由两个高大的宽敞区域组成，采用柔和的中性色调装饰，营造出一种宁静的建筑室内氛围。
Ochotorena has created a workspace suspended between beauty and efficiency.A renovated old art gallery in the Hispanoamérica neighborhood, the workspace unfolds across two large volumes of great height and in soft neutral finishes, composing a serene architectural interior.
地板采用天然坎帕斯特罗石（campastero stone）铺设，其特色在于罗马图案（Opus romano）——这是古罗马建筑中使用的经典构图，与墙壁和天花板上的天然手工石灰岩饰面相搭配。“我们的会议室区采用了自己的设计，包括一张4米长的混凝土长桌和一张白色大理石圆桌，分别配有夏洛特·佩里安（Charlotte Perriand）设计的‘多尔多涅’（Dordogne）椅和‘梅里贝尔’（Meribel）椅，”奥霍托雷纳（Ochotorena）向我们介绍道。在休息区，OOAA设计的米色亚麻布艺沙发、低矮的复古木质茶几、一张路易十五风格的伯格（Berger）扶手椅，以及托马索·奇米尼（Tomasso Cimini）设计的阅读灯，为原本低调的内饰增添了温馨气息。
The flooring in natural campastero stone is distinguished by its Opus romano pattern—a classic composition used in ancient Roman architecture—paired to walls and ceilings in finished natural artisan limestone. “Our meetings area features our own designs, a 4-meter long concrete table and a round table in travertine marble, accompanied by, respectively, ‘Dordogne’ and ‘Meribel’ chairs by Charlotte Perriand,” Ochotorena tells us. In the lounge area, beige linen-upholstered sofas by OOAA, low vintage coffee tables in wood, a Berger armchair in Louis XV style, and Tomasso Cimini reading lamps add warmth to the otherwise subdued interior.
该工作室的光线和空间分布令人印象深刻。“这是我最喜欢的空间元素，”他指着一个大型辐射式天窗说道，“它能让均匀的自然光线照进来，光线漫过不同的空间，而不会形成长长的阴影。”奥霍托雷纳在最大化空间设计与雕塑式嵌入物和古董之间找到了平衡，打造了一个集美观与高效于一体的办公空间。
The studio strikes us for its open distribution of light and space. “This is my favourite element of the space,” he shares, pointing to a big radiating skylight. “It allows homogenous natural light in, which gravitates over the different spaces without creating long shadows.” Balancing a maximized spatial design with sculptural inserts and antiques, Ochotorena has created a workspace suspended between beauty and efficiency.
在这里，伊克尔（Iker）在追溯自己的起源时，带来了他的愿景和价值观。“我的父亲在墨西哥出生并长大，因为我的祖父母离开西班牙去了那里，”他分享道。“在OOAA，我们的工作参考了广泛的主题和不同的文化，但我的美学教育是基于传统建筑和墨西哥工艺，其中的空间在厚重的墙壁和宽敞的比例中呈现，”他继续说道。在谈到自己早期的设计参考时，奥霍托雷纳（Ochotorena）提到了墨西哥建筑师路易斯·巴拉甘（Luis Barragán），他以其现代主义设计中引人注目的简洁性和用墨西哥当地建筑材料建造的富有启发性的住宅而闻名。
Here, Iker has brought his visions and values with a nod to his origins. “My father was born and raised in Mexico, because my grandparents had left Spain to live there,” he shares. “At OOAA, we work with a wide range of references and from different cultures, but my aesthetic education is based on traditional construction and Mexican workmanship, in which the space emerges within thick walls and generous proportions,” he continues. As his early design reference Ochotorena cites Mexican architect Luis Barragán, celebrated for his remarkable simplicity in his modernist designs and for his evocative houses built with vernacular Mexican building materials.
在设计师阿克塞尔·韦尔沃特（Axel Vervoordt）和文森特·范·杜森（Vincent Van Duysen）的进一步启发下，奥霍托雷纳（Ochotorena）以简约主义哲学为基础，从事建筑设计工作，该哲学以简约、克制和适应性功能的美学价值为基础。“我对空旷的空间有着特殊的敏感，在这样的空间里，光线和灵性得以展现，”他说。平衡是奥霍托雷纳努力追求并轻松实现的目标。他的空间设计充满诗意，细腻而简单，线条简洁，手工装饰精致。一切都保持在最严格的最低限度内，装饰仅限于石膏等经典雕塑元素。“几乎所有的其他东西都是多余的；要么严格对待装饰品，要么它们最终会掩盖住最美的空旷，”他补充道。
“I have a sensibility for empty spaces in which light and spirituality express themselves”
With further inspirations in designers Axel Vervoordt and Vincent Van Duysen, Ochotorena approaches architecture with a studied minimalist philosophy, based on the aesthetic values of simplicity, restraint, and adaptive functionality. “I have a sensibility for empty spaces in which light and spirituality express themselves,” he says. Balance is something Ochotorena strives for and achieves with practiced ease. Poetic in their design, his spaces are subtle, with simple lines and handcrafted finishes. All is kept to a strict minimum, with decors limited to classical sculptural elements such as stucco. “Almost everything else is superfluous; ornaments are either rigorously taken care of, or they end up hiding the most beautiful emptiness,” he adds.
在他的实践中，空间构想、饰面选择以及家具的选择或设计都是构成项目的基本要素。“在这个过程中，优质材料尤为重要，因为它们能让你感受到传统建筑的气息，其中你能察觉到人的手工痕迹，”他继续说道。该事务所反复出现的主题之一是单色性。在单色建筑中，同一种颜色的不同色调可以产生各种重量感和深度感，带来惊人的效果。奥霍托雷纳通过使用各种材料、质地和形状，在地板、墙壁和天花板之间创造出色彩的连续性。“在我看来，单色自然色调是‘无色’的，它们能让光线、阴影和空气得以展现，”他解释道。对于这位建筑师而言，空间的所有视觉外观都归功于光线及其最大化利用。“我们追求的是展现光线。通常，人们希望用各种颜色的堆砌来填满一座房子；但这只会阻碍人们感知空间及其光线的本质，”他补充道。他的建筑造诣在他的所有项目中都可见一斑；从马德里采用米色色调、曲面与直线独特融合的公寓翻新项目“Salud”，到梅诺卡岛的夏日别墅“Baleares”，后者中，石材与木材、玻璃开口以及让人想起古老地中海建筑的大面积单色墙壁共同营造出一个私密空间，让人忘却外面的世界。
“Monochromatic natural tones are the ‘no color’, they allow the expression of light, shadows, and air”For his practice, the vision of the space, the choice of a finish, and the selection or design of furniture, are all fundamental elements that contribute to the project. “Noble materials are especially important in the process, for they help you to feel the traditional construction, in which you can notice the human hand,” he continues. One of the practice’s recurring motifs is monochromaticity. With monochromatic architecture, different hues of the same color can cause various effects of weight and depth with startling effects. Ochotorena creates a color continuity between floors, walls, and ceiling, through the use of a variety of materials, textures, and shapes. “To me, monochromatic natural tones are the ‘no color’, they allow the expression of light, shadows, and air,” he explains.For the architect, all of the visual appearance of a space owes its existence to light and its maximization. “We pursue the unveiling of the light. Usually, it is expected to fill a house in a color salad; that only hinders the mind from perceiving the essence of a space and its light,” he adds. His architectural mastery can be seen in all of his projects; from the apartment renovation ‘Salud’ in Madrid with its beige color palette and unique harmony of curved surfaces and straight lines, to the summer house ‘Baleares’ in Menorca, in which stone and wood, glass openings, and large monochrome walls reminiscent of old Mediterannean architecture create an intimate space in which to disconnect from the outside world.
OOAA自己的办公室在这个环境中如鱼得水。工作室的氛围宁静平和，反映了其项目中的沉思态度；质地和色彩以精致空灵的设计将一切联系在一起。“我希望进入的空间能与城市环境相脱离，”他说。光与空间的和谐，让身处其中的体验变得极具精神性。“这是一个时间消失、空旷至上的绿洲。一个能让人在马德里这座城市中寻得庇护之所、在静默中工作的圣地。”当我们聆听奥霍托雷纳的话语时，路易斯·巴拉甘（Luis Barragan）的名言浮现在脑海：“我的房子是我的避风港，是充满情感的建筑，而非冷冰冰的便利之所”。
“I wanted to create a temple to inspire refuge from the city of Madrid”
OOAA’s own office fits like a glove in this context. Reflecting the contemplative attitude of his projects, the studio’s ambiance is calming; textures and color connect everything in a delicate and ethereal design. “I wanted to have the feeling of coming into a space that is decontextualized from the city,” he says. The harmony of light and space makes the experience of being inside it profoundly spiritual. “An oasis where time disappears and emptiness prevails. A temple to inspire refuge from the city of Madrid, and to work in silence.” As we listen to Ochotorena, we are reminded of Luis Barragan’s famous quote, “My house is my refuge, an emotional piece of architecture, not a cold piece of convenience”.
在住宅项目中，奥霍托雷纳致力于创作能够表达情感和宁静氛围的建筑作品，同时凸显质朴之美的价值——回归技术出现之前的住宅，这是与基本生活方面相关的最古老场所类型。“住宅是建筑中最原始、最基本的功能，我们的作品也有一种原始的表达，”他解释道。“在我们的数字世界中，建筑和设计都在追溯它们的起源。不完美、自然、独特，这些都变得吸引人，”他说，并补充道，“工业化流程也肯定在尝试提供这些。”
“Sustainable architecture has more sense with traditional construction methods”
In his residential projects, Ochotorena strives for works of architecture that express emotion and serenity while highlighting the value of the unsophisticated—a return to the pre-technology home as the most ancient type of place to do with the fundamental aspects of life. “Residential is the most primitive and essential use in architecture, and our work has a primitive discourse too,” he explains. “In our digital world, architecture and design look back to their origin. The imperfection, the natural, the unique, they all become attractive,” he says, adding, “the industrialized processes are surely trying to offer this too.”
从曾经的庇护所，到如今，住宅已迅速转变为集多种功能和科技解决方案于一体的容器。奥霍托雷纳并不追求新奇与创新；相反，他暗示了一种与我们过去的和解，以及与环境的和谐共存。“传统建造方法下的可持续建筑更有意义；‘高科技’带来的环境影响更加不确定，”他解释道。“幸运的是，越来越多的人意识到，厚墙和遮阳窗更符合可持续发展的理念，”他补充道。
From a place of sanctuary, today, houses have quickly adapted into a container for multiple functions and technological solutions. Ochotorena does not chase the new and innovative; he hints instead at a reconciliation with our past and at a healthy coexistence with our environment. “Sustainable architecture has more sense with traditional construction methods; ‘high-tech’ generates a more uncertain environmental impact,” he explains. “Luckily, there’s a growing social awareness that a thick wall and a shaded window are more consistent with sustainability,” he adds.
“由于人们在家中度过的时间更多，’新冠肺炎疫情‘大流行让我们更加珍视对家的呵护与欣赏，”这位建筑师说道。随着当前疫情改变了我们居家生活的方式，他的工作室将如何应对这些挑战，并为人们创造更宜居的空间？对于奥霍托雷纳而言，答案在于为设计赋予更多个人价值。“我设想房屋将更具个性；新建建筑将由开发商留下空白的室内空间，供居住者进行个性化装饰。”
“'For the future', I envision houses with more personality”
“The 'COVID-19' pandemic has helped us to value the care and appreciation of a home even more,since people spend more time in it,” says the architect. With the current epidemic changing the way we live in our own homes, how will his studio respond to the challenges and contribute to more desirable places to live? For Ochotorena, the answer lies in putting a more personal value on design. “I envision houses with more personality; new construction buildings, in which the developer leaves the interior empty for its inhabitants to personalize.”
奥霍托雷纳再次向我们传达了极简主义的理念，并向所有对他所极力捍卫的建筑情感方面感兴趣的人推荐了三本必读之书：彼得·卒姆托（Peter Zumthor）的《思考建筑》（Thinking Architecture），罗伯特·文丘里（Robert Venturi）的《建筑的复杂性与矛盾性》（Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture），以及豪尔赫·奥泰萨（Jorge Oteiza）的《西北有神》（Existe Dios al noroeste）。
Ochotorena leaves us with yet another message of minimalism, and three books that are required reading for anyone interested in the emotional aspects of architecture that he so strongly defends: Peter Zumthor’s Thinking architecture, Robert Venturi’s Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, and Jorge Oteiza’s Existe Dios al noroeste.
平面图 ©OOAA Arquitectura
项目名称 | Havana Walk
Project Name | Havana Walk
项目类型 | 办公空间
Project Type | Office spac
设计单位 | OOAA Arquitectura
Design Firm | OOAA Arquitectura
主创设计 | Iker Ochotorena
Chief Architects | Iker Ochotorena
天作空间设计 | 梦都會
