08-08 May 2024
Hotel Melià ,
Milano ,
Italy
|
10-12 May 2024
China Import & Export Fair Complex,
Guangzhou,
China
|
13-16 May 2024
Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia ,
Italy
|
14 May 2024
JPMorgan Chase Headquarters,
New York City,
United States
|
18-22 May 2024
The Ravenala Attitude Hotel,
Mauritius
|
23-24 May 2024
Large Hall of the Chamber of Commerce (Erbprinzenpalais),
Wiesbaden,
Germany
|
30-30 May 2024
Four Seasons Hotel George V,
Paris,
France
|
30 May - 02 Jun 2024
Rimini Exhibition Center,
Rimini,
Italy
|
|
|
|
noa* reimagines alpine wellness retreat to merge seamlessly with mountain landscape |
|
By Megan Whitby 05 Aug 2020 |
At the heart of the spa is a central drinking fountain providing running water from the mountain stream that flows through the hotel property Credit: Alex Filz
|
A South Tyrolean wellness resort in Saltaus, Italy, has received a new two-floor wellness centre designed to provide a sanctuary of wellbeing that integrates smoothly into the natural landscape.
Apfelhotel Torgglerhof hotel’s new 570sq m facility has been created to complement the resort’s existing spa with its apple-shaped bio-sauna – inspired by the local apple orchards.
Architecture and interior design firm Network of Architecture (noa*) led the overhaul, with construction beginning in November 2019.
Designed as the hotel’s new centrepiece, the wellness centre – called Brunnenhaus and translated as Water Well House – features two treatment rooms and has a Northside facade which blends into a natural green slope to conceal the building.
“The design for the wellness area is based on the concept of it being a ‘Brunnenhaus“, which is a spring or well house, due to the mountain stream, that flows through the hotel property,” said Joanna Lehnis, noa* interior designer.
The majority of the spa is largely hidden from sight and is covered with a layer of earth and plants, designed to blend it naturally into the bottom of the hill and merge into the landscape.
The Southside of the wellness area opens up with a glass- and steel-fronted facade that vanishes underneath a blanket of rooftop greenery.
Guests enter the new facility through a curved and semi-exposed concrete shell that tucks into the landscape, designed with a sweeping portal made from old wood.
Noa* has created an adults-only upper floor featuring a Finnish sauna, sauna lounge, relaxation room and a steam bath, along with an adjacent open-air terrace where guests can refresh themselves with an outdoor shower.
The Finnish sauna has been conceptualised with horizontally curved wooden slats and generous glazed windows, to provide sprawling views of the mountain scenery and apple orchards. The steam bath has a cave-like character, with droplets collected in a clay pot due to the ceiling that inclines towards the room’s centre.
At the heart of the spa is a central drinking fountain providing running water from the mountain stream that flows through the hotel property, made from natural stone.
“Incorporating natural colours and materials, such as the clay plaster speckled with pieces of hay on certain walls, pillars, and the fireplace, combined with soft materials and wooden furniture, creates a cosy and relaxing ambience,” said Lehnis.
Additional facilities include an open fireplace in a spacious relaxation area, which leads into showers, changing rooms, an existing bio-sauna – designed in the shape of an apple – and treatment rooms.
The spa provides treatments supplied by Team Dr Joseph and offers a range of therapies, including body wraps, massages, scrubs, facials and nail services.
A pool links the spa to the outdoors, stretching outside through the overgrown green façade and is partially framed with Lucerne metamorphic gneiss rock. The framing dissolves where the water edge meets the surrounding open space to visually connect with the landscape in an infinity edge.
The update is part of a resort-wide overhaul which saw the hotel gain a further 18 suites – also designed by noa* – which takes the destination’s total to 44 rooms, as well as an extension for the existing restaurant.
Lehnis wrapped up by saying: "The most exciting thing about the project was being able to design the new zones with their own particular character, which all play an important role in creating a varied and interesting hotel concept.”
|
|
News |
1 to 12 of 8712 news stories |
|
|
08 May 2024
HoloBike, a holographic training bike that simulates trail rides in lifelike 3D, is aiming to push indoor cycling technology up a gear. A California-based group of engineers and designers, Saga Holographic, have been working on ... More
|
|
|
|
08 May 2024
Luxury hotel brand Aman, widely known for its strong spa focus, has just launched its much-talked-about sister brand Janu in Tokyo – complete with a 4,000sq m urban wellness retreat. Janu Tokyo is only the ... More
|
|
|
|
07 May 2024
Equinox, has teamed up with health platform, Function Health, to offer 100 comprehensive laboratory tests, giving members vital insights into their internal health as part of an Optimize by Equinox membership. Priced at US$40,000 a ... More
|
|
|
|
07 May 2024
Spanish wellness brand SHA Wellness Clinic is busy preparing to bolster its wellness portfolio in 2026 with a hyper-exclusive island wellness enclave in AlJurf, UAE. SHA Emirates Island at AlJurf – created by Abu Dhabi-based ... More
|
|
|
|
03 May 2024
The historic Breakers Hotel in Long Beach, California, is set to reopen in mid-2024 as a Fairmont Hotels & Resorts property after a significant restoration and redevelopment project. The project, initially unveiled in 2022 by ... More
|
|
|
|
03 May 2024
High-end five-star hotel company Kempinski Hotels is making its mark in Vietnam with a luxury waterfront property overlooking the Saigon River. Set to open by 2026, Kempinski Saigon River – designed by Kengo Kuma & ... More
|
|
|
|
01 May 2024
Marriott International has signed a new deal with Neom to open a Ritz-Carlton Reserve property as part of Trojena, a brand new year-round mountain adventure destination in Saudi Arabia. Launching in 2026, Trojena is a ... More
|
|
|
|
27 Apr 2024
The Bannatyne Group says it has officially bounced back from the pandemic, with both turnover and profits restored to pre-2020 levels in 2023, according to its year-end results. Owned by former BBC Dragon’s Den investor, ... More
|
|
|
|
25 Apr 2024
Kerzner International has signed deals to operate two new Siro recovery hotels in Mexico and Saudi Arabia, following the launch of the inaugural Siro property in Dubai this February. Designed to offer guests a holistic ... More
|
|
|
|
24 Apr 2024
The US spa industry is continuing its upward trajectory, achieving an unprecedented milestone with a record-breaking revenue of US$21.3 billion in 2023, surpassing the previous high of US$20.1 billion in 2022. This data stems from ... More
|
|
|
|
24 Apr 2024
Short-term incentives to exercise, such as using daily reminders, rewards or games, can lead to sustained increases in activity, according to new research. Researchers found that even a simple daily reminder encouraged people to move ... More
|
|
|
|
24 Apr 2024
Spa and wellness veteran Shannon Malave has been named spa director at iconic US spa destination Mohonk Mountain House. Based in New York’s verdant Hudson Valley and founded in 1869, Mohonk is a historic Victorian ... More
|
|
|
|
|
Art of Cryo |
Art of Cryo offers a wide range of treatment solutions for whole-body cryo.
[more] |
|
|
|
|