In Guadalajara, Esrawe Studio Has Created A Space Of Majestic Materiality For Grupo Arca

Created to reference the organic materiality of Grupo Arca’s business, the formal elements of the building are striking; its exterior has been designed as a homage to the very site from which the stone the company sells is extracted. “A quarry is the evidence of man’s action on nature;” explains a statement from Esrawe Studio, “a universe in which men unintentionally sculpt pleats and volumes that result in strange and visually striking geology.” The dark facade of the building is angular, with sharp cuts down its front revealing contrasting light wood: “A manufactured landscape, an organic architecture created by the trace of the search for raw materials,” continues Esrawe Studio.

Through a small door, whose size serves to enhance the “monolithic facade”, one enters a genre-crossing space that “moves away from traditional retail space and promotes learning and dissemination, understanding of why and how architecture, design art and culture are generated in our country”. The space is split into two distinct sections, each which has multiple uses. The first is the ‘Quarry’; it holds the exhibition space, the design center, the cafeteria, and a multi-purpose room. The second is the warehouse, which acts as both a container and a distribution center that the architects describe as being a translucent and neutral space. The two spaces are aesthetically different, but complementary, designed to facilitate community involvement in “the construction of the cultural and creative expression of Mexico”.