Blue is one of the most common colors in nature. However, it is rarely used to represent something natural. By ceding this task to green, blue is relegated to immaculateness, order, cleanliness, even the future. Always associated, ironically, with the artificial and the rational. In fact, blue is the most common color in classic settings such as offices and dental clinics. Also, because of its inevitable association with the blue of the sea, it is often the color of choice for travel agencies.
Located in the heart of Madrid's Chueca neighborhood, the new Brando Ice Cream shop breaks with many of these stereotypes. The area, which has been suffering from gentrification for several years, is rapidly losing its identity and uniqueness, as globalization and the establishment of large retail chains gain ground.
In this context, the Solar architecture studio, in collaboration with Marta Jarabo, reclaims the traditional LGBTQ+ identity of the area, as well as local and artisanal production in the neighborhood, both in terms of ice cream production and construction processes.
The architectural project responds to three essential premises: A small budget, the development of a recognizable image, and a limited execution time. With this in mind, the architects in charge understand the use of color not only as an aesthetic variable, but also as an ecological one.
The necessary reduction in materials is perfectly realized through the use of a single color: RAL 5015. A sky blue that surprises and stands out in a commercial context. Blue probably wouldn't be the first color that comes to mind if we were asked what color an ice cream parlor is. Although ice cream is usually represented in whites and blues, ice cream parlors typically opt for browns and pastel pinks.
The sky blue is felt inside and outside the premises on every surface, including its ceiling, creating an artificial and abstract landscape that transforms the space into a "cube." From the outside, it doesn't look like an ice cream parlor. The uniform effect makes us lose track of space when surrounded by such a penetrating color.
It might seem like a purely aesthetic and branding decision. However, in the case of Brando Ice Cream, the color responds to an ecological manifesto of reducing resource consumption and waste emissions. And while in the design process, the brand identity usually sets the tone for the rest of the conceptual development, both in terms of spaces and materials, in Brando's case, the process is reversed. Here, blue serves the primary function of preserving the history of a store in the heart of Madrid's downtown neighborhood without sacrificing its distinctiveness, while simultaneously embodying a brand identity and seeking to be distinctive.
The minimalism of the space culminates in a light fixture located in the front center of the wall: an artificial sun that changes its hue according to the different hours of the day, offering a warm and ever-changing atmospheric experience.
Brando Helado is reminiscent of the Greek aesthetic of Santorini. Taken to the visual and superficial, it's a minimalist and attractive result that we're rarely used to seeing. A work of architectural conceptualization and materialization that not only responds to an aesthetic principle, but also transforms conceptualization through color into a means of sustainability.
