ECOU Studio is a blend of architecture, nature, and sustainability, best served together. Although we are a relatively young office, we are a team with a rich cumulative prior experience in urban planning, architecture, interior architecture, micro-architecture, temporary architecture, event scenography, art installations, exhibition design, furniture, and object design. We have not specialized in just one functional area or a specific scale of projects. Through our shared capacity for conceptualization, we can easily and innovatively tackle any type of project. We aim to bring sustainability, in all its forms, into our projects. From passivity to thermal and energy efficiency, through rather low-tech solutions that are not only simpler to implement but also more financially accessible. We aim to use as many local and organic materials as possible, to reuse and repurpose everything that is structurally viable, and to build less, only as much as needed.

Milestone Team is a local barbershop brand, designed exclusively for men, which extends to a new location in a socialist building, where the raw elements of the space combine with the fine elements of the design. The most relevant aspect of a barbershop is the activity itself, the show offered by expert barbers. Therefore, the whole space was organized in such a manner so that it emphasizes the working area that occupies the center of the two rooms. A mirror suspended above each table highlights the artistic process that can also be admired by pedestrians. A strong contrast is created by joining together the existing materials’ roughness and the delicate texture of the new elements. The technical atmosphere generated by this association among rough and smooth surfaces illustrates the nature of the activity taking place here. The ‘backstage’ area is designed strictly from a functional point of view with simple yet resistant materials such as OSB that also manages to bring warmth to the space. What makes this project one-of-a-kind? Focusing on the activity itself, the interior design was conceived in a unique way where the working area is centrally disposed emphasizing barbers` work of art. The space has a big opening window that allows the sunlight to be present in most part of the room and offers a perfect place to have a lot of plants and have a natural touch which gives freshness in the room, and also protects from too much light. The discovery of the floor, which is a mosaic pattern that was realized in the socialist period as a rough material, is a nice surprise and gives a good contrast to the fine design. Another aspect that contributed to a well organized space was the owner's involvement in the process which also imply a reduction of cost of the whole project.