Along the famous tree-lined promenade bordering the Torrent de Sa Riera that crosses the city, we come across the residential complex of the same name Paseo Mallorca 15. The project is by OHLAB, a rising studio of architecture and interior design founded by Paloma Hernaiz and Jaime Oliver in Shanghai in 2007, after which they moved to Spain, first in Madrid and then in Palma.
The building complies with Passivhaus standards (for reduction of nearly 90% in energy used for climate control, with respect to a conventional building). Sustainability is thus the key of interpretation of the project, which goes beyond maximum energy efficiency to achieve perfect urban insertion, relying on the local tradition.
The approach is already clearly visible in the façade: sliding panels of pine slats generate a game of light and shadow, making efficient use of natural lighting throughout the year; the lateral walls, containing the bedrooms, are clad with sheets of fiber reinforced concrete in a vertical pattern. Inside, the patio functions as a green lung, providing the apartments with suitable natural ventilation, while the plantings on the private terraces foster a sense of diffused nature.
The bond with the territory is also expressed in the choice of materials for the finishes of the individual flats, starting with wood for the floors and furnishings, lime-based plaster for walls and ceilings, and natural stone for the kitchens and bathrooms. In the bath environment, the theme of sustainability meets with new approaches thanks to the collaboration with Dornbracht, taking part with the Tara collection of taps (in the sophisticated brushed brass finish).
“Our design attitude has roots in the conviction that the bath environment is a space that has to be both functional and beautiful, but above all capable of narrating a personal story – say Paloma Hernaiz and Jaime Oliver. – In the design, function, aesthetics and sustainability are the basic elements to develop solutions that offer an experience; narratives that are unique every time, in dialogue with the project on a wider scale.”
The Tara collection, with its archetypal simplicity – an arch and a cross-shaped handle – enters into perfect dialogue with the interior design of Paseo Mallorca 15, so much so that it has also been chosen for the kitchen in the dedicated model, Tara Ultra.
