WIN Awards 2013 - World Interiors News Annual Awards 2013

HAMAM jazz lounge was an ambitious and intrinsically rewarding project. We are proud of the fact that we created a social hub which is in constant use for entertainment by locals, as well as a slowly growing number of tourists, foreign students and talent. We take great pride, with HAMAM, in having been able to exceed our clients’ needs and expectations, as well as employ the local economy and widen the country’s appeal by attracting international media attention to Prishtina. Prishtina is the capital city of the youngest country in Europe, a country that after 1999 emerged from a bloody civil war and that recently has undergone a transformation in rapidly expanding buildings, homes and businesses.


The client brief was to create a live jazz venue in a dead office space within the basement level of a 1960s Yugoslav communist modern-styled mixed-use block that had been used once by medical practitioners, and was until recently used by local squatters. Both design-wise and acoustically, this project posed major challenges. It was not possible to modify the building’s structure. The structural columns were already defined, and we were therefore required to work within these constraints. The overall location is near the city’s centre and easily accessible by outgoing crowds, however HAMAM’s location itself is narrow and sub-divided. This therefore made it challenging to fit any kind of performance activity requiring large crowds into the space. In response to these challenges, we came up with an imaginative design for the dark and dingy space, one quite unlike the local copy/paste architecture in the area. The design transformed the basement into a subterranean vision of fearlessness that communicates with the local heritage and further integrates and enhances HAMAM’s context within its environment and community.


Inspired by the environment, as well as texture, everything in the subterranean HAMAM jazz lounge has a tactile dimension. It is unexpected, raw, and like a textured abstract painting, or more appropriately, like the sound of jazz, it is ever changing and wide open to interpretation. Although met with skepticism by area critics for its uniqueness during its initial stage of planning, it now serves as a local hotspot for inspiration. With its mere presence alone it has catalyzed creativity, encouraging other architects and artists in Kosovo and the Balkans to think outside of the box and for the good of the community. In 2012, Kosovan Architecture Association awarded HAMAM with the Most Innovative Design of the Year. It was decided early on that only local eco conscious, recycled and reused materials would be used in the design and construction of HAMAM. The concept uses local materials: straw, mud, wood, and in some parts concrete, as well as the labour and expertise of skilled local craftsmen. At the same time, the lounge incorporates industrial elements to mirror the edginess of urban Prishtina.


Created with imagination and ingenuity, we left existing walls in place but scraped all layers of tiles. Eight months of labour is engraved into the walls of the 3000 square feet lounge as the carvings of the workers’ hammers, and tools are permanently imprinted into the concrete. Nature and technology had to work in unison to create the space envisioned. The client’s main concern was not an aesthetic issue, but an acoustic one. How to enhance sound quality without disturbing residential neighbors within a confined concrete basement? We used our offices in London to experiment with various materials. We discovered that dried mud panels suspended from the ceiling provided cushion for sound waves, reducing noise and cancelling echoes. A computing tool was used to generate patterns that mimic nature and its operating systems. The path of least resistance that naturally occurs as mud is dried is also represented as a mathematical model, and is routed using CNC machines to produces panels on other areas such as diving partitions, table tops, and WC doors. The table patterns also represent the natural occurrence of minimal path systems in a computer controlled way. No table pattern is the same, but can be combined together to form a system of structures linked together through the pattern of least resistance algorithm. Fifteen local workers were employed to create hundreds of mud panels for the ceiling, which hid the dim ceiling lights and suspending cables. Chairs, cushions and tables were handmade by local artisans, wood and leather makers. The massive wooden doors at the entrance were purchased from a village, near Lake Batlava, that specializes in door-making; the wood for the floor paneling was bought from local lumberjacks, and was installed by local floor specialists. Special attention was paid to every detail. We wanted to create something that would emotionally and physically touch people in their everyday lives and remind them, in a beautiful way. Materials and patterns of the furniture, walls and ceiling are not only pleasurable to sight and touch but also remind and make one aware of the timely process of nature. The existing structure had to be retained. The columns and walls create a natural division of space yet allow free movement. Demolition of ceiling and wall finishes create a warm and earthy transitional space. The infill partition walls were removed to open up spaces and create a natural link. The centralized space allocates for a stage, with dining set into the background.


All design materials used were derived from the local context and market. Everything was custom-made and has been handcrafted or repurposed using local skilled labour: local oak has been sourced and cut to one-meter strips to create a warm felling throughout the bar and restaurant area; toilets including sinks were built using concrete; lights in the toilet area were designed and made using plumbing objects; light fittings were made to resemble beehives and were built using traditional wood-weaving techniques. To aid the post war economy, all of the consultants, subconsultants used as part of the construction process were locals. All contractors, subcontractors and various tradesmen were local individuals and local companies, who worked hard to create a space that is seen as raw, refined and relevant.