Barcelona-based architects External Reference designed this fantastic premium Catalan fast food restaurant. Ham on Wheels, as the name suggests, combines bicycle culture with Spanish ham, and the tiny space is full of clever touches, like a carved mural of a pig riding a bike. The architects’ reasoning went a little like this, “The best ham is made by happy pigs. Happy animals who roam freely in their natural habitats. We like to imagine them riding free around Barcelona. This naïve vision is sculpted on to the wall, producing a textured mural”. The restaurant design is lighthearted and fun, even featuring road markings on the floors to guide customers to the bathrooms or even to their “parking spaces” where they find their bike-stool seats. Around them, visitors to the restaurant can see a mosaic of traditional hexagonal tomato jars, a key ingredient in Catalan cuisine, and hanging ham decorations incorporating graphic elements. Have a look at the gallery below to see more of Ham on Wheels.
