Since Hispania opened its doors as a restaurant in 1957 - it had been a garage in previous years - 52 years have passed. The Reixach family has run this historic establishment with unprecedented success and its notability has transcended state borders. Today's Hispania is cataloged by the country's main guides as one of the best restaurants in Spain, and the Reixach sisters, the current owners, have been awarded countless prizes and recognitions.
Hispania is therefore a monument to gastronomy and as such it is difficult to propose to modify or expand it without losing the magic that half a century of history has conferred on it. For this reason, the task we received to design a deep reform of the premises filled us with concern, for the complexity of the place and for its significance in the history of Catalan cuisine, but also with enthusiasm for what it represented a challenge to intervene profitably and skillfully in a space so full of memories.
Surprisingly, the owners let the architects suggest where and how to act, a responsibility that has weighed on the authors until the results have finally been seen and verified.
Therefore, we chose a solution that seemed the most neutral to us, which interfered less with the history of the house. And, in an adjoining garden, attached to the façade of the main building, we projected a glass pavilion, light, transparent and aerial, supported by only two points on the base of the garden. The metal structure building is covered by means of a prestressing central truss allowing it to be built in just 3 and a half months thanks to the systems manufactured in the workshop and the use of self-supporting thermochip panels. With total exterior measurements of 16.45 x 5.00 x 3.50m high, the space is configured as a single room connected to the old dining room through a body-belly that acts as a pre-hallway and separates the two spaces, the new and the old.
A demanding performance in terms of acoustic behaviour, with the base of ecofont panels and perimeter walls of scratched wood, ensures surprising environmental comfort, which is complemented by other materials such as oak parquet on the floor, fabric roll-up curtains on the perimeter glass and the chairs covered in quality upholstery give the space a sense of well-being that the Hispania customer appreciates.
The modular distribution based on mobile auxiliary furniture allows the configuration of the new dining room to be easily varied, while the lighting, programmed by computer, nuances and precisely matches the desired scenarios.
The dining room has already come into use and its relationship with the historic room has proven not only compatible but extraordinarily complementary. In fact, it is gaining importance given its round shapes, its bright and comfortable space and its cozy and versatile furniture.
The history of Hispania will be able to continue its path without setbacks. Its new dining room will become another chapter that will be written, with admirable vocation, by its owners and masterful cooks, Paquita and Lolita Reixach.
