The project for El Enemigo Grill at Zurbano 50 gives shape to El Enemigo Store, a retail space where the restaurant’s identity is translated into a unified architecture that structures the relationship between visitor, product and space.
The design takes the plan of Comlongon Castle as a reference, where the wall is understood not merely as a boundary, but as a thickness capable of accommodating the programme. This principle is brought to the scale of retail through a thick, active perimeter that incorporates display, storage, service and technical requirements, freeing up a continuous central space.
The shop is organised around this equipped perimeter, which integrates display areas, refrigerated units, wine cabinets, storage and service spaces. By concentrating the programme along the edges, the centre remains open and the interior is perceived as a continuous enclosure. A large pivoting door extends the shop towards the street and acts as a visual draw, while the uninterrupted arrangement of products creates an intuitive, circular route in which retail, display and gathering coexist without rigid separation.
In contrast to the continuity of the perimeter, two concrete elements cast in situ introduce a contemporary counterpoint. The central counter organises circulation and brings together the functions of service, encounter and food preparation, while the washbasin completes the ensemble through the same constructional logic. Both elements contrast with the precise, classical language of the equipped wall, making the contemporary intervention clearly legible.
This attention to materiality extends to the flooring, made from marble tiles recovered during the renovation of a residential project. Unable to be incorporated into that project, the pieces were dismantled, selected, bush-hammered and treated before being given a new role as the shop’s floor. Their reuse completes the project through an idea of material continuity, permanence and second life.
Materials
natural walnut-veneered and routed MDF joinery – wall panelling, display cabinets and integrated appliance housings
pigmented concrete – reception monolith and washbasin, cast in situ
polished Indian Black marble – countertops
brass fittings – cabinet pulls, door handles, rails and tapware
natural marble tiles – interior flooring
mirrored finish – access door to the private area
