Experimental, artisanal, ecological: a restaurant by Lucas Muñoz Muñoz in Madrid

Conceiving the construction site as a place for improvisation, learning, reinterpretation and experimentation: this is the approach Spanish designer Lucas Muñoz Muñoz used to transform Madrid's former Teatro Espronceda into an innovative restaurant: Mo de Movimiento. Over a period of 16 months, the 1,000 square metres of the project area became both a storage area and the designer's workshop, where during the necessary demolition work he evaluated the quality of the waste materials and their potential for reuse with tests and prototypes. Environmental awareness is at the basis of every design choice. Thanks to a combination of material techniques and technological strategies, the project team reduced the ecological footprint of the intervention by more than 70% compared to a conventional transformation.

The element that best represents Muñoz's ethical and aesthetic approach in MO de Movimiento is the innovative adiabatic cooling system, consisting of vases hanging from the ceiling. These sculptural terracotta objects are equipped with a fan on the top, an internal nebulisation system and a pump of water, which is brought in, generating a natural heat exchange. Reusing industrial or waste materials in an innovative way is an established practice for the Spanish designer, who in recent years has developed a number of furnishings and projects using similar methods, such as OFIS - Objects for Interstitial Space, Tubolar Armchair and the various Wild Objects he makes during his travels around the world. This interior is therefore a compendium of different techniques and strategies mastered by the author throughout his career.