ArchShowcase 
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Hotel Cala Esmeralda in Majorca, Spain by Isabel López Vilalta + AsociadosSeptember 18th, 2018 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Isabel López Vilalta + Asociados Cala Esmeralda Inturotel in Cala D’Or beach Mallorca overhauled with traditional island materials The hotel lies in the beautiful Balearic gem of Cala D’Or, and overlooks the nearby Cala Esmeralda beach. This area is located south east of the island and is known for its famous port that runs along the Cala Llonda. Al this area is surrounded by beautiful wooded creeks and turquoise waters. For this project and taking into account the history of the building and the natural surroundings, we decided to realize a modest intervention, bringing the building back to its origins and restoring its interiors with a contemporary style overhauled with the islands traditional materials.  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué
 Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué Built on the 70s, by the architect José Alcover, the building has a spectacular white wavy facade, which is characteristic of the Balearic style of the time. The hotel includes two separate buildings with guest rooms and suites, a pool area in between and a building with the common areas, including restaurant, bar, lounge and lobby. The clients brief was open minded although they were clear about their desire to create a fresh atmosphere to update of the buildings 70´s image. The challenge of bringing back the buildings origins and renovating its image, became the core of the project.  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué We renovated the main entrance, that stood out for its historic canopy. This became the starting point to allocate the rest of the programming: lobby, bar, bar-lounge, restaurant and chill-out, indoor and exterior. The floor plan became a challenge, its design, structure and space organization were determined by the pre-existing conditions of the topography and geometry of the building and this resulted in varying levels with spaces of different sizes and heights.  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué Before the renovation, the areas were clearly divided in small spaces with many visual barriers. Our approach began by creating an open-plan to provide a free air flow and circulation. In order to improve the bar and lounge footprint, we slightly modified the wall disposition to create more sitting areas. We decided to keep the white walls as a neutral backdrop to showcase the fresh, light and versatile furniture. Both the open-plan and the white walls, warrantied the brightness all around the areas.  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué In contrast to this neutral backdrop, subtle touches of blue and green hues were inspired by the surrounding seaside and the maritime tradition. This colour code, as well as the use of a wide furniture selection was thought to help visitors identify the different areas and create a dynamic and versatile interior. A second decision was to visually unify all the spaces by using the same flooring, a herringbone pattern formed by a refined porcelain tile. This decision was also transferred to the ceilings, were the same open ceiling formed by timber slats was used in every space.  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué In the lobby, a turquoise wood cladding resembling an antique boiserie creates the perfect backdrop for a great ¨L¨ shaped wooden desk that welcomes the visitors. Contrast is created with dark pendant lamps that match other dark details around the areas. Another notable feature is the use of a white wall cladding with a rounded pattern. It is found in all the different areas and creates a dynamic and texturized background to contrasts with the sober, wooden furniture.  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué The bar and restaurant have been redesigned to create a more informal atmosphere, featuring natural furniture, inspired by the traditional and typical nautical roots of the island. Brown, beige and cream hues were chosen for the furnishings in all of the areas, while traditional island IKAT textiles were used in the cushions. Here we also used a natural thin bamboo cladding to provide a warm and homely feeling and contrast with the otherwise fresh atmosphere. This material was applied in al spaces to create a unified vision.  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué In the interior chill-out, a 70´s inspired dark blue pattern stands out and offers a calm and fresh backdrop for the relaxing and comfortable furniture. Great glazing’s provide natural light and garden views to all of the spaces. The exterior chill out area is found in the first-floor roof top and has become the preferred space by the guests due to its sculptural swimming pool, placed between the different floor levels. These different levels also provided extra space for the guest room private terraces, connecting them without losing privacy with the new chill out area, bar and future SPA area.  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué The white lattice with round shapes, that resembles the interior wall cladding, is typical from the local traditional architecture. We used the lattice in the façade to create a natural light filter that simultaneously created a dynamic and beautiful light reflection. This natural filter contributes to the sustainability of the space by passively helping to cool down the warm island summers and it is also used to create privacy barriers between spaces, for example to separate the guest room terraces.  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Alejo Bagué  Image Courtesy © Isabel López Vilalta + Asociados
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Categories: Bar, Hotel, Interiors, Lobby, Renovation, Restaurant, space, Terrace |
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