ELECTRIC PAWN SHOP

Augustine Paredes

• Architecture & Interior Design

Acknowledging the fluctuating character of Dubai, we were challenged to read its impermanent infrastructures as the specific rule which defines its spirit. Honest towards its context, Electric Pawn Shop takes birth as an f&b bar in the back of the H-Hotel, reading the traces of the restaurant that was once there. It projects to the inside the movement, light and speed of the cars on the second of November bridge, generating a theatrical play of reflections.

photo_credit Augustine Paredes — Augustine Paredes

Similar to the identity of UAE where different multi-cultural models are adopted, the project imports the model of Beirut bars whilst staying true to the essence of the local culture. It is inspired from the Lebanese bars of Gemmayzeh and Mar-Mkhael, which create through their particular scale, a plethora of opportunities for intimate social interactions. To replicate this feeling, the 300sqm space is interpreted as an urban object orbiting around a central piazza, where different streets intersect. At the heart of the piazza sits a sculptural fragmented bar, formed by four bridge concrete beams, standing majestically on the floor. Honest, the hovering canopy reveals its structure and reflects through its mirrors the different light colors, unveiling the three-dimensionality of the space. The visitor feels the structural tension by peeking through the void of the architectonic mirror, seeing steel I-beams, tension cables, and a yellow crane bolted into the back wall. Adding to the honesty of this palimpsest, pumps and brackets render the ceiling a multi-layered canvas.

Through its different treatments, the floor acts as navigation map between one street and the other. Guided by neon signs, the visitors experience unique adventures while discovering glimpses of the events that are yet to unfold. From one end, the alleyway with its street furniture culminates at an elusive stainless reflective façade, creating a dreamy atmosphere.

Wagon seating, couple seating, a common dining area and a metallic amphitheater, generate artificial topographies with particular encounters. Embraced by a state of “emptiness”, the green enclosed valentine room projects informal events which typically happen in the leftover corners of the city. On the same street, pop up museums with distinctive colors appear randomly to the left and right. As an illustration, the vinyl museum exposes a fine selection of vinyls and projects through the glass blocks an amalgam of different colors and feelings. The space acts as an autobiography, where each design decision takes inspiration from food, music and cocktails, telling the story of the client, the DJ, the chef and the architect.

Finally, rough materials such as concrete, perforated metal sheets, glass blocks, GI metal, neon lighting, brick pavement, water and mirrors create a playful imaginative environment. Mimicking the city of Dubai, the phenomenon generated by Electric Pawn Shop, changes our perception of reality by the second, making the visitor wonder if their experience is real or a mere illusion.