FROM CITY TO THE SEA. The aim of this project is to transfer the sensations conveyed by the sea, the water, and the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea to a location in the centre of Madrid.
Rethinking The Future Awards 2024
First Award | Interiors – Hospitality (Built)
Project Name: POSEIDON
Category: Interiors – Hospitality (Built)
Studio Name: AIMA Estudio
Design Team: Ana Luisa Padilla Valdivieso
Area: Restaurant
Year: 2023
Location: Paseo de Juan Antonio Vallejo-Nájera 38, Madrid
Consultants: Poseidon
Photography Credits: Luz Estudio
Render Credits: AIMA Estudio
Other Credits: Marcos Marinas Project Management
With this design, we seek to create an immersive experience in the sea, encompassing the brightest coasts and the darkest depths so people may eat surrounded by colours, textures and shapes that recall marine nature and, especially, the Mediterranean culture.
To achieve this feeling, we use biophilic design resources, natural materials and artisanal elements that originate from Mediterranean countries. We incorporate natural plant elements, such as plants and mosses, and materials of natural origin such as wood, stones and ropes to add for decoration. We also select ceramic materials, furniture and lamps from nearby Mediterranean countries, such as Greece, Morocco, Italy and Spain. In this way, we also wanted to reduce the cost of transportation and the ecological footprint.
We use bioclimatic resources and reduce the use of artificial air conditioning by making use of the large folding windows when the weather allows. This way, the restaurant can be open to the street to enjoy the different seasons.
The colours in all the elements were chosen from the colour palette of colours that can be derived from looking at the seas and coasts: blues and sands.
The premises are divided into several areas through vertical elements made of ropes and textiles of natural origin that allow for visual connection. These divisions, situated in certain areas, follow curved lines that are reminiscent of the movement of sea waves. These sinuous lines also coincide with the curves that can be seen on the ground separating the different types of flooring. Polished micro concrete and turquoise ceramic trencadís generate different textures and highlight the artisan ceramics commonly used in Mediterranean coastal areas.
We include elements that are reminiscent of the fauna and flora of the sea. Special prominence is given to the handcrafted murals in which marine fauna has been represented. One of them has been designed and executed by the Aima studio team. It represents the bottom of the sea in white sand and, on it, a school of fish made of wood. The other mural represents an octopus in the depths of the sea and has been designed in collaboration with Aima studio and Taruga creations, hand-painted by their artists.
The plant elements are included through natural plants in different parts of the premises: in pots on the floor, furniture, pendants, and a large vertical garden of freeze-dried moss that is reminiscent of marine vegetation like mosses, lichens and algae.
In Poseidon we immerse ourselves in the sea remembering the importance and beauty of our seas, the animals that live in them, and the need for their conservation and protection.
