With the mantra ‘The Matter Mastering Immersion’, this unique space aims to help architects, designers and interior designers to enrich their projects, illustrating that matter should be a means to spark creativity.
Its avant-garde design has earned it prestigious international recognition, such as the Best of Year Awards 2022, the Architizer Awards 2022 and the German Design Awards 2023.
Valencia, December 20, 2022. For nearly half a century, the Spanish company COMPAC has been creating surfaces of extraordinary technical qualities, beauty and versatility to give shape to any space or architectural element. The firm has recently taken a further step in its commitment to collaboration with professionals by opening the doors of the new SALON COMPAC exhibition space, located in Real de Gandía (Valencia, Spain), which invites professionals to reflect on creativity and emotion.
With the mantra ‘The Matter Mastering Immersion’, this 1,200 m², avant-garde space was created with the aim of helping architects, designers and interior designers to enrich their projects and creations, illustrating that matter can be a means to spark creativity. This is evident in this revolutionary showroom, where COMPAC surfaces demonstrate their versatility in both works of art and functional architectural elements.
As Paco Sanchis, CEO of COMPAC, says, "with SALON we wanted to pass on our passion for the subject and our mastery of it, in an experiential and immersive way that was also inspiring". SALON COMPAC is a space for artistic creation where it is possible to experience design and architecture through different spaces and stimuli. The idea moves away from the concept of a conventional exhibition, turning the visitor into a witness of the transformation process of the materials, from their most natural primary form, to their composition and their materialisation into pieces of art.
International Recognition
The innovative concept and development of the SALON COMPAC ‘The Matter Mastering Immersion’ has been recognised by the international architecture and design sector. The Best of Year Awards 2022, announced on 8 December, awarded SALON COMPAC in the ‘Product Showroom’ category of these important awards.
SALON COMPAC has also received special mentions from other prestigious awards, such as the Architizer Awards 2022, which recognised this exhibition space in the category of ‘Architecture & Experimental Design’, and the German Design Awards, which in its 2023 edition awarded a special mention to SALON COMPAC in the ‘Excellent Architecture’ category.
In this respect, COMPAC CEO Paco Sanchis states that, "the awards obtained in recent months reinforce our belief that we have a lot to offer the architecture and design sector. Just as an architectural work becomes meaningful when it is lived in or passed through, our showroom has been designed to be the origin of new ideas, of concrete solutions to challenges that bring about new projects, or of future collaborations. I encourage all architects and designers to get to know the SALON COMPAC, because it is a space that has been created not only by them, but for them".
‘The Matter Mastering Immersion’, a fusion of design, architecture and art
SALON COMPAC is a nod to the firm's principles of sustainability and innovation, and its aim is to invite you to explore, through your imagination, all the possibilities offered by decorative surfaces. A wide range of applications of the Terrazzo COMPAC, Obsidiana COMPAC, Quartz COMPAC and Terrazzo COMPAC are demonstrated throughout the exhibition.
One of the most striking elements in SALON is a large, solid staircase made entirely from Terrazzo COMPAC. The piece, weighing 50 tonnes and reaching over 5 metres in height, is a spectacular functional and sculptural structure that demonstrates the versatility of the material. Eight vertical blocks have been used to create it, into which different step modules have been fitted, while the handrail has been sculpted into the vertical structure and polished by hand.
The courtyard, with its impressive Terrazzo-clad structure, captivates with its simplicity and the majesty of its 4.5 m high curved walls. Nature is part of COMPAC's DNA, and so, as a tribute to the sustainable philosophy of IQ Circular Science, the space is dominated by the "Tipuana Tipu" tree, symbolising the 30,000 trees that the company has planted in its factory in Portugal. Next to it is a massive sculpture by artist Arik Levy made of Terrazzo COMPAC, which acts as a near 3-metre-long bench for contemplating nature and inviting reflection.
SALON COMPAC brings together different sculptures and designs that show the expressive potential and versatility of COMPAC materials, and their ability to inspire creators from all over the world. In the words of Paco Sanchis: "The sculpture "Ghost" by Arik Levy, "Head" by Rubén Fuentes Fuertes, the spectacular piece "Hammam", developed together with GG Architects , or "Stepwell", made with the London studio Coffey Architects, which simulates the geometric wonder of the Chand Baori, all add value to our showroom because they are in line with our philosophy of 'Minds Over Matter'. We are convinced that when the mind dominates matter, unique pieces and inspiring experiences emerge. These pieces play with geometries, lighting and angles, gaining success with artwork that has been recognised internationally".
The SALON COMPAC in Real de Gandía also serves as a place for experimentation. The laboratory conducts research into new aspects, uses, techniques and applications, as well as carrying out projects in collaboration with prestigious universities such as the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. All of this with the aim of continuing to be a benchmark in the development of more sustainable and renewable materials for the architecture of the future.