I took my time, but, finally, I went to Casa Seat. Until now ---almost a year and a half after its inauguration--- I hadn't decided to set foot in this new space. It didn't catch my attention at all. I took for granted that no matter how much they had sold it to us with great fanfare, it was, basically, a car dealership, albeit, disguised as a multipurpose space or creative laboratory. Yes, one of these new format establishments, without a counter or shelves, where cool employees invite you to sit on whimsically shaped sofas and offer you Nespresso coffees and detox juices, whether you've come in to buy shoes or negotiate a mortgage.
I admit I was wrong. Casa Seat is a great success and in record time and with a manifestly adverse context ---the capacity restrictions derived from the pandemic have greatly limited its activity during the first months of operation---, for Barcelonians it has become the place to be.
The challenge was enormous: to fill a 2,600 square meter space on Avenida Diagonal-Paseo de Gràcia with content. Seat has dedicated the space to culture, design, and urban mobility. Casa Seat is, in a way, a compendium of how the car manufacturer wants to be perceived. Or, in other words, it is the embodiment of its brand values: design, culture, mobility, technology, sustainability... And, of course, it is 100% Barcelona.
For the architects in charge of the renovation of the old Deutsche Bank building ---also known as Torre Europa--- the challenge was no less. The building had to be adapted to new uses, but respecting exactly the existing volume and silhouette. That is, without modifying its appearance, they had to convert a bank headquarters, and a German one at that, into a cheerful space, open to the city, that invited people to enter. A kind of agora. A small thing, right? The project was carried out by Carlos Ferrater and his studio Office of Architecture in Barcelona (OAB), while the interior design bears the stamp of the Lázaro Rosa-Violán studio and everyone agrees that they have done a great job.
Casa Seat is, in a way, a compendium of how the car manufacturer wants to be perceived. Or, in other words, it is the embodiment of its brand values: design, culture, mobility, technology, sustainability...Really, Casa Seat has managed to become a meeting point perfectly connected with the city.It's a constant coming and going of people. A non-stop stream of pedestrians who stop to act silly in front of its glass walls. Of people attracted by the magnificent works of urban artist Tvboy who, these days, further enhance Casa Seat's desire to open up to the street.
I leave Casa Seat convinced that even though we have all become very digital, it still makes perfect sense for large companies and, of course, institutions to have physical headquarters where they can establish direct contact with citizens. Call them hubs, flagship stores, showrooms, brand experience centers or whatever. It is for their interests, but also for those of the city as a whole. A city rich in these types of spaces is a more vibrant, more dynamic, more creative and joyful city.
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