A SMALLER SPLASH!

A SMALLER SPLASH is a space that works with WATER and AIR as main materials of design: space, time, matter and energy design.

After the covid-19 lock-down, we are commissioned by a domestic community in the center of Madrid to transform their underground level and upgrade their energy systems. They established two main goals: the need for a space for body wellness through physical activity and meditation; and an energetic upgrade of their building facilities; aiming to be totally isolated from sounds, smells and condensation from the rest of the domestic levels.

The project is structured through 3 strategies with respect to air and water:

THE SPACE - Function and energy.
Taking into account the architectural and technical context and the urgent need for sectorization, the thermodynamics of the space becomes a fundamental design tool. The space is re-organized and simplified to free-up the floor plan completely, achieving a longitudinal liquid space, which allows a chain of spaces and a programmatic organization according to the levels of humidity, temperature, pressure and use intensity. In this way, high-humidity related activities are located at both ends (pool and spa), while those with lower humidity and higher thermodynamic control capacity are located in-between as "thermodynamic buffer" zones.

THE PERIMETER – Boundary and Container.
The perimeter and shell of the space, acts not only as an air and water container, but also as energy facilities and cabinet container. Thus, depending on the needs and morphology of each room, the border is formalized as: an insulator, or a linear machine-room, or ducts space, sports-material cabinets, or even as secondary annexed functions (sauna, bathroom, etc...). Both ends of the boundary are curved to promote the related purposes, while generating areas of opportunity to contain the larger machines. The main surface material, a white waterproof stoneware, allows to adapt to all the curved and sinuous surfaces, working smoothly with air and water, and multiplying the zenithal light from the skylight that connects with the patio. The color, materiality, geometry and light treatments turns the space into a neutral, free-of-use, space for evasion.

THE FILTERS - Spatial, function and air membranes.
The constructive design of the divisions between rooms responds to a sequential organization of uses and light, but also to a filtering criterion between them. This "filter strategy" generates closures/doors that range from hermetic to membrane with different details, textures and materials. These space separators, apart from hierarchizing the program, allow the optimization of the different air exchange systems: the unit that dehumidifies and air-conditions the pool, or the mechanical ventilation system that extracts air from inside the sectors and ejects it from the outside filtered by a heat exchanger.