Mo de Movimiento: An Innovative Combination of Vernacular Knowledge and Low Technology

Contributors, Densities, Formats, Machado-Muñoz, No Density, Project, Technology and fabrication, Topics.

Acoustics, Courtyard, Design process, Interior design, Lighting design, Local materials, Madrid, Modular Design, Project, Recycling, Spain, Technology, Temperature, Upcycling, Ventilation, Vernacular.

After 18 months directing a context-specific research effort, designer Lucas Muñoz has created his largest project. The restaurant Mo de Movimiento is a compendium of several techniques and strategies mastered by the author throughout his career. Ventilation systems based on terracotta and water are the cooling hearts of a construction that deploys a complex, yet simple, water management system. These red clay elements cool down Madrid’s dry, hot air through an adiabatic exchange of temperature – in an innovative combination of vernacular knowledge and low technology, created specifically for this location by Lucas and his team. Furthermore, the space heats its own water using the remnant power of its two hand-made pizza ovens. There is also a triple filtration of the water supply: pumped through different deposits, grey water is reused to flush the toilets, and rain water and the runoff from the terracotta cooling systems are used to irrigate the garden. Water is a scarce resource in Madrid, and Lucas’ project for Mo de Movimiento is a design that counts on every drop for a chain of cooling, cleaning and gardening functions.