the cavernous, glowing ‘bala perdida club’ is hidden beneath streets of madrid

two vaulted spaces built in brick are the provocative and secret site of the bala perdida club by barcelona-based studio el equipo creativo. hidden in beneath the streets of madrid under a refurbished eighteenth century palace, the design team transforms the dark, subterranean space into a luminous and atmospheric night club. el equipo creativo had two main design premises. on one hand, to maintain the singularity of the existing space characterized as antique caves or cellars formed by two expressive brickwork vaults. on the other hand, to curate a night club and cocktail bar with the versatility to quickly transform from a warm atmosphere into a sensorial and hypnotic night scene.

all images by adrià goula

the need for a transformative and clandestine atmosphere drove the design team at el equipo creativo to generate a space of optical illusions. the primary design strategy of the project was the use of two central elements: mirrors, facing each other on either end of each vault, produce an illusionistic sense of spatial endlessness, producing the effect of seemingly endless tunnels. a second focal element is the continually changing lighting condition. at the axis of the two vaults, two longitudinal LED lamps inset among the suspended acoustic panels emit an immersive glow, with ranging colors and speeds. also, the bar itself acts as a lantern or hearth, emitting a warm fire toned light which serves as a foundation for the playful lights cast overhead on the vaulted walls.

project info:

project title: bala perdida club

design team: el equipo creativo

location: calle de atocha, 49 — 28012, madrid

client: HI partners, grup iglesias

floor area: 250 square meters

completion: october 2017

photographer: adrià goula