Noor Restaurant

When Andalusian chef Paco Morales embarked on the opening of his restaurant in Córdoba, he parted from a clear premise: to regain and reinterpret Andalusian cooking in a contemporary recreation of what a palace banquet at the 10th century Medina Azahara might have been. To accomplish this, ggarchitects designed the Noor restaurant as a tribute to Arabic heritage.

  Following on from the above, the restaurant construction project had to revolve around the Arabic heritage, but seen through a contemporary prism. The Valencian architectural studio proposed the creation of “fictional archaeologies” and parted from the use of four of the most representative concepts of Islamic architecture: the contrast between interior and exterior design, the sequence of spaces, the articulation of light and shadow and the frequent use of geometric patterns.

The facade, deliberately sober, is covered by a ceramic skin with sharp geometric arrows engraved on it, that create gradients which frame the entrance door and contrast against the soft and colorful patterns of the interiors. Here, the sequence of spaces, order and rhythm is the essential part of the Noor experience. The entrance, lounge, open kitchen and creative space are all unified, although clearly differentiated, with a unique character that generates a sense of depth and fluency.

The articulation of light and shadow is used both to accentuate the contrast between the facade and the interior, and to magnify the sequence of spaces. The small, dark lobby works as a filter amidst the exterior clarity and the lounge’s dense and nuanced zenithal light. The same contrast is given by the bright open kitchen and the dimness of the bath hall. Geometrical patterns have been generated on different materials and surfaces with parametric digital tools.

Noor restaurant, Córdoba, Spain
Program: restaurant
Architects: ggarchitects
Team: Nacho Mor (project architect), Jose Ramon Tramoyeres, Javier Cortina (design), Adolfo de la Torre, Maria Jose Mora (design team)
Local architect: Manuel Gómez de la Haba
Lighting: Vassilis Pappas
Area: 216.3 sqm
Completion: 2016