Grupo Arca has big ambitions. The company, with showrooms in Mexico City and Monterrey, is a favorite among Mexican architects and interior designers, supplying them with high-quality building materials: wood floors from France, a variety of stonework, Italian-made artificial stone and exotic natural materials. stone globes from all over the world. But Grupo Arca also prides itself on a higher purpose: to be “a hub of creative connections that promotes design, culture and the arts through outstanding experiences,” according to a company statement. This experience includes a wonderful online design magazine called Container and a new generation of design centers that are more like museums celebrating material art than traditional commercial showrooms. They will provide flexible spaces for temporary exhibitions, film screenings and musical performances. The first site of this kind opened in Guadalajara, designed by like-minded and equally ambitious Esrawe Studio employees.
       In the Grupo Arca showroom in Guadalajara, Mexico, designed by Esrawe, the courtyard walls and floors are made of Italian blue travertine panels, creating the feeling of being in a quarry. Photo: Jaime Navarro.
       “We want to inspire our clients to incorporate cultural elements into their projects,” begins Héctor Esrave. “In this case, we achieved two goals: design that adds social value and becomes an integral part of the brand. This company has amazing energy and wants to grab the brass ring and reach for the stars.”
       The Esrawe team, led by construction coordinator Laura Vela, conceived a 70,000-square-foot facility with two connected but clearly defined areas: a tall, ceiling-lit warehouse that stores massive stone slabs from Grupo Arca’s inventory, as well as a warehouse; A three-story exhibition hall wing housing a food gallery, offices and a bookstore-café. The public part of the latter is arranged around a wedge-shaped bazaar or courtyard, inspired by the stone displayed inside. Parts of the entrance facade are finished with blocky black concrete planes, similar to layers of excavated light Italian travertine. Walking through the front door, a discreet and discreet opening in the quiet façade, visitors enter the grand bazaar.
       The floors and walls of the courtyard are completely covered with the same travertine as the façade. The bazaar extends to a height of three floors, its pronounced horizontal texture reminiscent of the strata of an archaeological excavation or quarry, a metaphor used by Esrabe. “It gives you the opportunity to see the source of the material, not just the end product,” the designer said. “Few people go into a quarry and think that the stone is just coming out of the yard. Here we create a connection between the user and the raw material.”
       Similar to the courtyards of traditional Mexican homes, the bazaar, as well as a pair of small light wells, bring daylight into the windowless structure. Recessed doorways and cantilevered walkways flow around the trapezoidal shape of the courtyard, adding horizontality to the space. “Part of the experience of walking on this petrified mass is the expansion and contraction of blood circulation,” explains Vera. The planted trees and shrubs resemble the vegetation growing from the geometric marble rocks in Edward Burtynsky’s famous photographs of abandoned Vermont quarries—nature comes to life. Massive travertine steps combined with smaller rustic teak steps create a stunning backdrop for performances and exhibitions. Currently on view is the first exhibition of abstract wood sculptures by contemporary Mexican artist Jorge Yazpic.
       The company’s craftsmen made a built-in sink from Italian marble, which also covers the walls, floor and ceiling of the bathroom. Photo by Genevieve Lutkin.
       Internally, the Esrawe team similarly treats exhibitions as works of art rather than specimens. “The interior design is neutral and the gallery lighting showcases the drama of the materials,” Vera continued. “It’s a pure, clean geometry of lines and planes with a steel frame that expresses depth.” The lobby features black basalt floors and black microcement walls and ceilings, reinforcing the building’s solid masonry concept. Even the reception desk is a piece of rough-hewn Turkish marble. The lobby overlooks a huge warehouse with a skylight, which features rotating sections of steel framing, solid stone slabs and timber floors, creating a clear but easily flowing division between showrooms and storage areas.
       The bookshop and café on the top floor have overlapping functions. It opens onto a landscaped terrace, a place to relax and peruse architectural books and magazines, as well as a reference library for designers to collaborate with sales representatives. Framed architectural photographs add to the gallery atmosphere and the overall idea of ​​the Grupo Arca showroom as a cultural center and not just a place for commercial transactions. As with much of the building, Studio Esrawe designed the furniture, including bar stools, benches and bookshelves, to match the honey-colored maple plywood ceiling. Grupo Arca craftsmen also contributed to the furnishings, including the huge veined French marble sinks for the reception and bathrooms.
       Grupo Arca’s first revolutionary showroom was a hit, creating a new sense of community among Guadalajara’s design professionals while supporting and expanding the company’s international ambitions. Moreover, new outposts will open next year in Miami and Madrid.
       Project team: Antonio Santibañez; Andrea Vasquez; Tatiana Guo Dou; Javier Garcia-Rivera; Moises Gonzalez; Esrawe Studio. Parra Landscape Architecture: Landscape Design Consultants. Conceptual design by Cadena + Asociados: custom graphics. Architectural Lighting: Lighting Consultant. GMA Architecture and Engineering: Civil Engineer. Casas De México: MEP, carpenter, general contractor.
       Product origin: Front: Milia Seippel and Character: vase (reception). Esrawe: sofa, table, chair.