Relojeria Alemana

Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Photo © José Hevia

Photo © OHLAB

Visualization © OHLAB

Drawing © OHLAB

Retail + Stores

Architects: OHLAB

Location: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Year: 2012
Client: Relojeria Alemana
Team: OHLAB
Furniture: Decágono
building contractor: Construcciones Torrens
Steel work and laser cut: Ripoll Laser
Steel supplier: Inoxincolor
blacksmith: Amer
Mechanical and lighting: Centro de Montajes
tensed textile: Resyrok
carpenter: Narro
glazing: Cristalería Bellver
Photographer: José Hevia

The new store for the legendary "Relojeria Alemana" is located in Port Adriano, the new marina recently designed by Philippe
Starck in the southwest of Mallorca.
The program is compressed into five “Precious Boxes” –VIP area, temporary art installations, outdoor lounge, backoffice and
signage– leaving the space in between the volumes as an exhibition gallery. Three of the boxes are located inside the store
and two more are outdoors extending the exhibition gallery to the terraces. Golden stainless steel plates with mirror finish
cover the boxes. The assembly of the plates is made with a deformed set of joints deliberately curved in order to create small
deformations on the surface of the boxes. These deformations create distorted images reflected on the boxes. The interior
space, defined only by three glazed facades, features an intense and homogeneous lighting thanks to a matte white backlit
textile ceiling that avoids reflections on the golden boxes while emphasizing the distortions.
Every box includes, in one of its corners, an eye-level horizontal reveal that creates a corner display: one side is by the glass
facade working as a shop window while the other side opens to the interior of the store as an interior display. In the terrace, by
the sea, there are two more boxes of different sizes. One is a lounge bed with an incorporated display and the other one
features the only signage of the store.
The outcome is a collection of sculptural and abstract volumes reflecting a golden and slightly deformed environment. The
project questions and reflects on the concept of luxury proposing a game of make-up and appearances –where things are
not what they seem. Therefore, simple and orthogonal boxes that appear as undulated and distorted while the environment
of the marina and the mega-yachts is reflected as glowing, complex and sublime…