Undulating plywood ceiling perfects movement and acoustics in Madrid restaurant

The Puccias bar restaurant is a benchmark in Madrid for enjoying delicious puccias, Italian sandwiches from the La Puglia region.

Besides offering these highly original and tasty sandwiches, the place is rather unique for another reason too: its ceilings have been decorated with an undulating poplar plywood structure that simulates the movement of waves. Although wood might seem rather static at first sight, the creators have played with panels to “trick the mind” and give a new dimension to the premises. Furthermore, this undulating ceiling structure helps the flow of sound waves to create incredible acoustics for enjoying the music played throughout the bar.

The architecture firm behind this project, Aldea Sophia, chose the Efficiency Poplar panels from Garnica, 100% European poplar plywood from sustainably managed plantations. Poplar panels are extremely lightweight and easily machined, meaning they can be easily cut into the desired shape. Furthermore, the light colour and excellent surface quality obtained from poplar add exceptional luminosity to the entire space.

The machining process for cutting the panels and giving them their undulating shape was done with a CNC machine (numerical control), for which poplar - and Efficiency Poplar more specifically - is an ideal type of plywood because its lightweight nature and low density means it can be machined and shaped easily, leading to very significant time and cost savings for the joinery work.

Alonso Vargas, Marketing Manager for Puccias, explained why this original decoration was chosen for the ceiling at the premises. “The space we move through is full of waves we cannot see with our eyes, but they move us and encourage us to follow the flow of energy. The construction of our ceiling is a reflection of that constant movement, allowing the space to expand before the very eyes of our visitors to become larger and more pleasing for people looking for somewhere to eat. It is a place that invites movement, to continue transforming what we eat into the energy that moves us every day”.

Opened in 2018 and located in the popular Chueca district of Madrid, the restaurant offers its original puccias, sandwiches made from freshly baked sourdough bread that is sliced down the middle like Greek pita bread and filled with various types of meat, cold cuts, cheese, salad and dressings based on traditional Italian recipes from the La Puglia region.