{"id":94549,"date":"2025-11-22T18:22:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T18:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ccmagazine.es\/?p=94549"},"modified":"2025-12-04T14:41:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T14:41:49","slug":"nexus-the-brutalist-bar-designed-by-cristina-poelk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ccmagazine.es\/en\/nexus-the-brutalist-bar-designed-by-cristina-poelk\/","title":{"rendered":"NEXUS: the brutalist bar designed by Cristina Poelk"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEXUS<\/strong>, the latest project by architect Cristina Poelk<\/em>, emerges as a space that transcends the traditional definitions of bar or restaurant. Designed as an architectural and sensory experiment, it reimagines the way we inhabit gastronomy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

NEXUS<\/em> is not merely a venue, but a living ecosystem, a brutalist stage brought to life through the TERMINO<\/em> system<\/a>, a modular architecture designed to dissolve the boundaries between nightclub, bar, and fine dining.<\/p>\n

\u201cNEXUS is a brutalist stage brought to life through the modularity of the TERMINO system.\u201d<\/h2>\n
The birth of an unrestricted concept<\/h6>\n

“There was no fixed brief from Termino”<\/em>, Poelk<\/em> tells CC\/magazine<\/em> in an exclusive interview. “It was our second collaboration, and this time we wanted to bring the modular system into a commercial space. I\u2019d always wanted to design a restaurant or bar, and this was the perfect opportunity”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The result is a bold statement: a brutalist interior where raw concrete sets the tone, softened by subtle nods to \u201880s sci-fi, playful postmodernism, and a stylised vision of a dystopian future.<\/p>\n

A gravitational centre: the 360\u00ba bar<\/h6>\n

At the heart of the space sits its defining feature: a 360-degree circular bar, constructed entirely using the TERMINO<\/em> system. This modular island is not just the functional axis, but the symbolic one. Around it, guests, servers and observers orbit. The radial geometry organises both the space and the experiences it hosts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Above the bar, suspended modules appear to float, anchored by near-invisible wires. “I wanted the kitchen to be the star of the space”<\/em>, Poelk<\/em> explains. “The counters are level with the tables, so I needed a way to make it stand out without overloading the setting”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Blade Runner, brutalism, and a touch of postmodernism<\/h6>\n

Among the aesthetic references that shaped the project, Poelk<\/em> cites “Blade Runner”<\/em>, European brutalism, and the formal playfulness of Italian postmodernism. “I love the dystopian aesthetic of the \u201880s\u2014that raw use of concrete, steel, and glass that projects a kind of futuristic coldness”<\/em>, she says.<\/p>\n

To counterbalance this starkness, Poelk<\/em> introduced a soft pink terrazzo floor, a subtle gesture that adds warmth and nods to 1980s Italian design language. The tables echo this same tone, creating a chromatic harmony that softens the structure without breaking its narrative flow.<\/p>\n

Light, materiality, and movement<\/h6>\n

General lighting is embedded in the ceiling, casting a cool glow that enhances the raw futurism of the design. However, above each table, sculptural lamps by GRAU<\/em> create intimate zones. “These lights form islands of warmth within a monumental structure”<\/em>, says Poelk<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The main materials\u2014steel, glass and concrete\u2014are used without ornamentation, as an exercise in formal honesty. Yet, in dialogue with the flexibility of the TERMINO<\/em> system, their rigidity dissolves, giving way to fluidity.<\/p>\n

A transformable, social space<\/h6>\n

“The kitchen\/bar always remains at the centre, but everything else can move”<\/em>, Poelk<\/em> notes. “Tables, chairs and secondary elements are completely reconfigurable. You could even swap out some of the modules without compromising the essence of the space”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This transformable spirit responds to a vision of hospitality in constant motion. The guest is no longer just a spectator\u2014they become an actor. Poelk<\/em> defines it as “an experience designed to be lived all night long: good music, lively conversation, drinks and energy”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Designing with freedom\u2014and trust<\/h6>\n

The collaboration with TERMINO<\/em> was both fluid and radical: “They gave me absolute freedom, as long as the modular system was well represented. I\u2019d spent ten years working in interior architecture and furniture design, so they trusted my creative judgement entirely”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Although NEXUS<\/em> exists only in digital format, it was conceived for Tokyo, a city that Poelk<\/em> says “perfectly aligns with the aesthetic of the project\u2014its skyline, the round windows, the minimalist approach… everything just fit”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cNEXUS only exists in digital format, but it was conceived for Tokyo\u2014a city that perfectly aligns with the project\u2019s aesthetic.\u201d<\/h2>\n
A new chapter in Poelk\u2019s creative journey<\/h6>\n

Cristina Poelk<\/em> has developed her career primarily around residential and exhibition design, but NEXUS<\/em> marks a bold new direction. “I always wanted to design a gastronomic space. When a commercial interior concept hits the right note, it can stay with the visitor for years. That\u2019s what I was aiming for”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

With NEXUS<\/em>, Poelk<\/em> delivers not only a visually striking space, but a bold proposition that questions the relationship between architecture, function, and social experience. A spatial manifesto for a new era of design.<\/p>\n

(*)<\/strong> Designs by Cristina Poelk. Images created by Maryna Korak.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEXUS, the latest project by architect Cristina Poelk, emerges as a space that transcends the traditional definitions of bar or restaurant. Designed as an architectural and sensory experiment, it reimagines the way we inhabit gastronomy. NEXUS is not merely a venue, but a living ecosystem, a brutalist stage brought to life through the TERMINO system, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":94373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5959,5957,5900],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-architecture","category-design-en","category-art-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNEXUS: the brutalist bar designed by Cristina Poelk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From Tokyo, architect Cristina Poelk unveils NEXUS: a brutalist, modular bar that fuses architecture, gastronomy, and sensory experience.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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