Underwater office

PHOTOS: Xavier Mollá

You would be forgiven for mistaking Spanish company Hidrosalud’s offices for the secret lair of Aquaman. The blue lighting, slick surfaces and underwater appeal had us fooled too.

The company, which works in the water-treatment sector, approached Spanish interior architects Cuartopensante to create a space that “assimilates the ungovernable aspect of the aquatic element and extrapolate it into a liveable space” – a task the architects certainly achieved.

With the use of Hi Macs® – a heat-formed acrylic stone with no visible joints – office desks and boardroom tables take on a monolithic form with futuristic appeal.

The space is characterised by transparency, verticality, and the constant presence of curved and inclined elements, and the result is a minimalistic space that clearly references water.

Clever use of lighting further enhances the aquatic aesthetic. The combined use of LED spotlights and halogen bulbs highlights the architecture while also allowing adaption to change the mood.

The project’s interior architects Rafa Muños and Víctor Mollá are renowned for basing their work on the senses and man’s ability to perceive sensations in his surroundings. The Hidrosalud offices are certainly no exception. The clever use of light, colour, and materials creates a space where you can almost feel the tides and hear the waves crashing.

More information: www.cuartopensante.com, www.himacs.eu