Imagine being in Barcelona on a sunny Saturday afternoon, walking around La Rambla, a hundred tourists with their cameras, beautiful buildings around you, and… happy pigs riding their bicycles!
Sounds like a bad Hollywood movie, but a great idea for a tapas bar. This is part of the crazy and beautiful concept designed by Barcelona’s architects External Reference. The premise that the best ham comes from happy pigs, set their imagination in motion (literally) with pigs riding bicycles around the city.
Ham on Wheels is a premium Catalan fast food restaurant that sells Spanish ham and ‘Coca’ bread.
The architect duo of Nacho Toribio and Carmelo Zappulla designed an space full of smart details: There are road markings on the floor that serve as a signage system for their customers, they used bicycle stools instead of regular chairs, and transformed iconic hams as colorful graphic pieces that display messages such as: Moritz, Barcelona’s Best Beer, Take Away, Fast food. Red and orange jars make up a large mosaic mural that represents the tomatoes used in their traditional ‘Pa amb tomàquet’. And if you ever visit the place, you’re definitely going to want a selfie with the giant pig riding a bike that’s carved on the wall!
Interior architecture and art installations: External Reference Architects (Nacho Toribio, Carmelo Zappulla and Manuel Ateca)
Marketing concept: Albert Castellón
Art director: Chu Uroz
Corporate Identity and graphic design: Forma & Co
Photographer: Lorenzo Patuzzo
Location (complete address): 8 Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol, Barcelona, Cataluña
Built area: 40 ㎡
Completion: November 2015
