Fugas Lusas by Extrastudio
Extrastudio has completed Fugas Lusas, a Delicatessen/ Café in Setúbal,
Portugal. Set in the historical district in Setúbal, the project
insists on customization in order to create unique spacial or material
qualities. Taking advantage of low-tech traditional materials used
side-by-side with technological processes, Extrastudio has been addressing the creation of a specific material universe as a key element in each project.
Commissioned by a young Economics professor to develop a concept for a Portuguese delicacies shop that would also work as a café, the project represents an effort to revitalize the historical district of Setúbal, creating a new meeting point in the city. Combining two complementary functions required the creation of a unique space, one that should be as extraordinary as the products the client was proposing to sell and as cozy as a neighborhood café.
The construction works started with the opening of a large window front, exposing the café to the square, as a preview for the future terrace. New shelves were carved on the thick exterior walls to display a wide range of products. The bar, clad with typical Portuguese ceramic tiles, divides the working areas from the public space. In the ceiling, laser cut plywood panels; duplicate the pattern used on the counter tiled walls. The furniture is composed by a set of used hardwood chairs from the old assembly room of Setúbal’s Fish Industry Union, together with tables with marble tops from Alentejo.
Extrastudio has been recently awarded in the Valdebebas Urban Park competition in Madrid, with a proposal that ranked 4th among 163 international practices. Its work has been recently selected for Habitar Portugal 2009, an exhibit organized by Ordem dos Arquitectos, the Portuguese Architects Association, on the most relevant architectural projects built in the last two years in Portugal.
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