NEXO - OLAS & INMERSION

National Superior School of Architecture of Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon

Project idea

Nexo is a multi-service project aimed at revitalizing an undervalued area despite being well located, close to an emblematic building of the city: the Palma Cathedral. Currently, current activities are focused on maritime trade and related sectors. One of the objectives is to make this place attractive for both tourists and locals, with the aim of creating a new central point in the Mallorcan capital. Nexo is made up of two entities: Ola and Inmersion, which respectively correspond to a complex magnifying the culinary professions and the second hosting thalassotherapy and an aquarium. From a morphological point of view, Nexo intends to respect the city's current skyline while creating new emblematic buildings.

Project description

The Olas project embodies an ambitious vision of integration into the landscape of Palma, reaffirming the importance of its waterfront. Consisting of a restaurant complex and a lounge, it is built on declining port areas, benefiting nevertheless from a strategic position, at the articulation of pedestrian, road and maritime flows. The restaurant space extends over an existing overhang, while the lounge rises gracefully, accentuating the architectural audacity of the project. The unity between these two entities is manifested by the lightness of the shape of the roof, which metaphorically recalls the fluidity of a wave. This symbolic wave originates in the port of Palma, and rises into the sky to magnify the views of the cathedral and the surrounding maritime panorama. In a holistic approach, the complex aspires to offer varied sensory experiences, stimulating taste, touch, sight... Olas is thus an emblematic place, where gastronomy, design and landscape combine to offer an experience unique and memorable.

Inmersion is a project which is part of a desire to erase the landscape of the port of Palma. The relocation of the old aquarium and the creation of a thalassotherapy center enhances and energizes this nerve center of the Palm city. This single-material monolite presents itself as the symbiosis between Man and his marine environment rising with elegance and humility. The intention is to create a space where time seems suspended, an immersive experience enhancing the views of the Palma skyline, the infinite horizon and the monumental silhouette of the cathedral. Through a delicate fusion of poetry and scenography, Inmersion creates a space where aesthetics meets emotion, inviting contemplative reflection.

Technical information

The project from a technical point of view is based on curves, the use of concrete was therefore favored. For the submerged part, we chose to install prestressed concrete in 2 dimensions

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