With Barcelona serving as an international catalyst for cultural
integration, the city provides diverse options in cuisine. The
Cuina de la Topografía seeks to explore cultural specifics from
the perspective of culinary preparation and cooking. Sited on
the plaza of the famous Boquería Market, the Cuina is a culinary
institution available to the public. Kitchen space is provided for
scheduled courses and open for public use at all other times.

Six large kitchens sink beneath the plaza’s ground plane,
preserving an urban topography populated by mysterious
objects. The objects operate as windows, skylights, chimneys,
and video screens for the kitchens below, while also promoting
physical activity and outdoor cooking above ground. Three
transparent bridges designate the over-underground condition
and accommodate the studied paths of travel through the site.
The Cuina explores the notion of tectonic flexibilities; the objects
are static sculptures yet contain no predetermined formal use.
Such flexibility encourages a variety of visitors to seek their
own method of using the site. A narrative of the site is open to
an individual’s personal interpretation, an allusion to the iconic
ambiguity of Gaudi’s fantastic Barcelona roofscapes.