The French city of Nantes has this weekend inaugurated the Miroir d’Eau (Water Mirror), a high-tech construction that combines spectacles of water and light, executed by EMTE Service, a COMSA EMTE group company, and designed by JML Water Feature Design.
Located in the very centre of Nantes, the fountain has a surface area of 1300 square metres and includes different functionalities: 32 vertical jets of water can reach a height of up to 1.80 metres, and layers of mist that extend over the ground with the activation of 208 misting points. Also, a sheet of water with a depth of two centimetres covers the entire surface, when the fountain is not operating, allowing it to reflect the Château des Ducs de Bretagne.
EMTE Service was responsible for the development of the hydraulic system, the computer programming and the spectacular handling of the water and light in accordance with criteria of sustainability and energy efficiency. The ‘Water Mirror’ consists of a mosaic of grey and black granite slabs assembled over a trapezoidal design with small openings for the water outlet. This equipment has been designed as a recreational space for young people and adults, as well as to host outdoor performances.
The opening ceremony, held on 5 September, was presided over by the mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, and the vice president of the Conseil régional des Pays de la Loire, Christophe Clergeau, along with other important public figures from the region, and was attended by the director of EMTE Service, Luis Álvarez, and the head of the international division of the company, Nathalie Lacroix.
In this way, the maintenance and services company of the COMSA EMTE group consolidates its position as a leader in the ornamental fountains sector. In Spain, EMTE Service has also carried out projects that have become points of reference, such as the fountains of the Alcázar de Córdoba, the Fuente de la Diversión (‘Fountain of Fun’) in Santa Susanna (Barcelona), the luminous fountain in the Plaza España in Melilla, the installation and subsequent remodelling of the luminous fountain in Salou (Tarragona), and the ornamental mist fountain in the Plaza Bizkaia in Bilbao.
At an international level, it has constructed fountains in Portugal (Plaza del Imperio in Lisbon), South Korea (Spectacular Musical Fountain in Goyang), Chile (cybernetic fountain in the Quinta Normal Park in Santiago de Chile), Bermuda (central offices of Bacardi), Dominican Republic (Water-Light Theatre of Santo Domingo) and Denmark (Larsen Plads Park in Copenhagen), among others. In France, it is also responsible for the maintenance of 190 fountains in the city of Paris, and is currently implementing a project involving the construction of ornamental fountains in the Polygon Riviera (Côte d’Azur), one of the most luxurious and exclusive shopping centres in the country.
