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Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects
- Area: 1100 m²
- Year: 2011
Text description provided by the architects. The most recent Roca Gallery to open is in London. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the Roca London Gallery is located in Chelsea Harbour and is 1,100 m2 in size. The leading role is played by the water that, in the words of Zaha Hadid, “acts as a transformer moving, without interruption, through the façade, carving the interior and flowing through the main gallery as drops of water”.
The façade has a series of openings that seek to show the effect of water erosion and a white interior filled with drops of light acting as the backbone of the Roca London Gallery. These drops of water connect the different areas of the space which are part of the Roca London Gallery itself; namely an exhibition of Roca’s most innovative products, the meeting room and the multimedia space, amongst others. Additionally, the interior features the latest technologies which combine with modern audiovisual, sound and lighting equipment to transport the visitor to a truly cutting edge space.
Zaha Hadid and her team have created a design that is not just purely visual, it also uses the art of precision and control to help the visitor understand the relationship between the architecture of the space and the design of Roca bathroom products.
Miguel Angel Munar, Senior Managing Director, Roca Bathroom Products Division commented:
“For Roca it is essential to have a presence in a city like London which is a benchmark for design and innovation on a global level. London is also of strategic importance to our future business development since it allows us to be close to our top international distributors and clients. At the Roca London Gallery, Zaha Hadid has perfectly interpreted all our brand values as well as our company philosophy in a singularly exciting and tangible way.”
“Our work imbues architecture with the intricacy and beauty of natural forms. Using a formal language derived from the movement of water, the Roca London Gallery has been eroded and polished by fluidity; generating a sequence of dynamic spaces carved from this fascinating interplay between architecture and nature.”
Roca‟s commitment to design and innovation is clearly visible in the exterior of the building with its distinctive and unique façade which gives the Roca London Gallery its identity. Three almost organic portals which appear to have been shaped by water erosion open up this space to the city. The movement of water is the overriding theme in the Roca London Gallery – flowing and merging exterior and interior spaces. The interior is sculptured white concrete and its state of the art lighting connects each of the different areas whilst serving as a central axis around which the Roca London Gallery revolves. The interior is fabulous, functional and flexible, featuring cutting-edge, modern, audiovisual, sound and lighting equipment. This technology provides interaction with the brand and the opportunity to discover the company‟s history, its landmark achievements and the values on which all of Roca‟s work is based: the commitment to sustainability and particularly to innovation, design, wellness and saving water.
The Roca London Gallery is intended to be much more than just a display space. Available to an extensive audience that will include everyone from design-savvy architects to design-hungry students, it will become a London hub hosting a wide range of activities such as exhibitions produced in-house or externally, meetings, presentations, seminars and debates, the criteria being a celebration of design in keeping with the Roca brand and company values.
Text provided by ROCA.
