2018 CONTENT IN ENGLISH 85 lighting, which emphasizes the central concept of the pro- ject and highlights the different reddish tones of the furni- ture. In addition, a different type of luminary was installed in every area of the store: in the space allocated for ladies clothing, metallic cage luminaires were installed over the nest tables and the gentlemen’s area was complemented with retro vintage industrial loft luminaires, covered with a hanging mesh. The access to the central hallway was accentuated with two vintage octopus luminaries, with nine lightbulbs each, installed on the ceiling and with neon signs and retro neon lights, to attract attention from the exterior. Finally, on the black false ceiling area, lighting was in- stalled over the nest tables to make them stand out in the space, while the perimeters were bathed in warm light from rails and reflectors. “We wanted the rails to be invis- ible but for their lighting, and let the reflectors highlight the product”, stated Grup Idea. CATAMARAN ROMA Location: Durango (México) Design: Grup Idea (Joselyn Quezada y Rodrigo Grediaga) Client: El Palacio de Hierro. Photography: Mauricio Avramow Gutierrez RCR “LIGHT, LIKE MUSIC, HAS NOT ONLY MELODIES BUT ALSO SILENCES” The need to go back to essentials to com- municate the universal is not only one of the premises of RCR Architects studio, it’s also the basis for its name, formed by the initials of Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem y Ramón Vilalta. They are a trio of profes- sionals that in three decades working in their ‘creative architecture workshop’ have reaped formidable works such as the Bodega Bell-Lloc in Palamos (Gero- na) and the Soulange Museum in Rodez, (France) that brought them the Pritzker Award for Architecture 2017. We spoke with them about the creative spark that fuels their projects and the meaning of light in architecture. Editorial Staff iCandela: You define yourselves as a ‘creative architecture workshop? How and when was RCR born? RCR: The studio was born when Rafael, Carme and Ramon completed their studies at the ETSAV (Escuela Superior de Arquitectura del Vallès), returned to their home city and began working together, growing together, creating together... For us, architecture is the art of materializing dreams on a long journey, we have never thought of it as work. It has been a way of life. ESiC: Do you work your buildings as “architecture of the landscape”? Do the surroundings influence your works? RCR: As architecture of the landscape, as architecture of the feel for spaces, as architecture that transcends us. To be sure, our surroundings have an impact on our life, in the same way that lighting has a dialogue with nature because it radiates its vibrations through light. ESiC: In the project of the lighthouse at the port of Palamós, ‘Light Sphere’, you describe light as a ball of fire? Do you understand light as projectual material? RCR: Of course, light is key for defining atmospheric spaces. ESiC: What is the formula for creating the universal starting from the intimate? RCR: Only through the essential can you communicate the universal. Essentially we are all the same, from there we multiply and differentiate. When we go back to the essen- tial, we come together again. ESiC: Are tradition and innovation key to your architec- ture? RCR: Conceptual essentiality can be shown with technol- ogy at its disposal and not by expressing the latter. ESiC: What do words such as shape, matter and light suggest to you? How do light, shadow and silence relate? RCR: The world is a complex place and through managing the elemental (that’s not to say the simple) you perform an artistic procedure by working with complementary pairs, according to Carlos Martí in his “silencios elocuentes” (elo- quent silences). Light, like music, has not only melodies and intervals, but also silences. The silences, the shadows and the empty space contribute to give the proper value to sound, light and the full space. ESiC: Do you address all the projects in the same way? RCR: We always work with the same attitude and proce- dure, but we do not have a propositional model. What we do is work together, at one table, and around it we share and talk; that is the secret of our approach. ESiC: How is the relationship with your clients while developing a project? And with the lighting designers? RCR: With our clients we initiate a long journey that in- cludes endless topics and stages, and light (daylight and nightlight) is part of them. With the designers we talk about essential concepts to find ways of obtaining the spa- tial qualities we are looking for and to find the technical solutions that will make them possible.