To score the best waves in the Northeast it takes three things: dedication, luck and a thick skin. Though the water warms up to a comfortable trunks-only temperature in the summer, the best waves pound the shores of New England, New York and…
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These hand-drawn illustrations by Hackney design studio Something & Son explain the designs for a temporary spa that opens tomorrow in Barking, east London.
Above: bar and cucumber plants
Top: relaxation room
The Barking Bathhouse will be open for seven weeks in the heart of Barking’s town centre and will feature a series of treatment rooms, a cocktail bar and a makeshift beach made from piles of pebbles.
Above: pebble bays
Homegrown cucumbers will spout from a canopy of plants above the bar and will be used to make drinks, as well as for spa treatments.
Above: sauna room
One room will provide a wooden sauna, while another will contain a cool room chilled with dry ice.
Above: massage room
The structure is being assembled from a series of prefabricated wooden huts and is one of twelve projects taking place this summer as part of arts festival CREATE.
Other projects with imaginative illustrations on Dezeen include a tiny theatre and a row of houses for London’s east end.
Something & Son are based on Dalston Lane in the London Borough of Hackney. Scroll down to see their location on our Designed in Hackney map.
Here’s some information from CREATE and Something & Son:
The Barking Bathhouse, Something & Son
27 July – 16 September
CREATE has commissioned Something & Son to design and build The Barking Bathhouse. Focusing on wellbeing, The Barking Bathhouse will experiment in the latest design, health and beauty ideas to help people feel happy and relaxed this summer during perhaps the most hectic period in London’s history. The Bathhouse will open on 24 July in Barking town centre and provide affordable spa treatments as well as a free social space for people to meet. Something & Son are the design practice behind the hugely successful FARM:shop in Dalston which saw the practice create a fully functioning farm within a disused shop. This new project is one of the Mayor’s Outer London Fund projects being delivered for Barking and Dagenham Council.
The Barking Bathhouse will combine a spa with a bar, where visitors will be able to sip healthy cocktails under a canopy of growing cucumbers and sunbathe in seaside-inspired pebble bays. After soaking up vitamins and being pampered with a variety of treatments – using produce grown by local allotment gardeners – visitors will be able to sweat it out or cool down in a traditional wooden sauna or a cold room with a pioneering ‘dry ice’ chiller. The purpose-built design of the Bathhouse is inspired by 20th century working men’s bathhouses, ultra modern spas and Barking’s industrial heritage.
Andrew Merritt of Something & Son said: “Ideally relaxation should be an everyday experience and we wanted to design a space that can increase happiness and explore ideas of relaxation in an urban context. The juxtaposition of traditional spa techniques and the industrial setting will create a raw but very human space.”
Paul Smyth of Something & Son said: “When you travel the world, some of the best, most memorable experiences can happen in a simple massage hut or bathhouse. And many other cultures see visits to a bathhouse as an essential way to de-stress or spend time with others. We hope to recreate that unpretentious but effective philosophy at the Barking Bathhouse.”
The building design
Drawing on the industrial heritage of Barking, as well as the aesthetic of darkened timber farm buildings found in nearby Essex and the wooden beach huts of Kent, Something & Son will combine functional design and new spa technologies to create the Bathhouse building. The clear roofed structure of the bar area will allow high levels of sunlight into the communal space. In the treatment area, strong spotlights will pinpoint areas such as the nail bar, creating some drama in an otherwise low lit, tranquil space. A raw aesthetic throughout will challenge traditional notions of ‘luxury’ while creating a blissful space to relax.
The pod-based structure, to be prefabricated and docked together on site, has been planned with the future in mind, and when the Bathhouse closes at the end of the summer the different pods will be separated with the aim of relocating them locally for continued use by the community, including local allotment owners, playgrounds and youth centres.
The spa
The spa area will consist of a series of massage and treatment rooms in addition to a traditional sauna and a cold room lined with ice blocks will bring traditional bathhouse rituals to the experience. There will also be a relaxation area with loungers. Massages, body treatments, manicures and pedicures will all be offered, and Something & Son are working with local beauticians and local allotment gardeners to develop natural and refreshing treatments. To reduce excessive water use the Bathhouse will not have communal pools or energy-wasting hot tubs.
The bar
In the bar cocktails, smoothies, snacks and spa treatments will all be offered on the bar menu, the cucumber canopy above the bar providing fresh produce for use in beauty treatments. Next door a beach-inspired pebble bay is set aside for socialising and sun bathing under a partially open roof. Shingle dunes will provide the perfect space to relax and unwind between treatments, or just to come and catch some rays over lunchtime.
Events programme
The Bathhouse will also run a rich and varied events programme with workshops, talks and discussions with happiness and wellbeing as the central ethos. From talks on whether money can make you happy to chocolate making and meditation workshops, the programme will focus on establishing personal happiness. A workshop on the beauty myth will offer photoshop makeovers showing how media images of beauty are unattainable, while laughter yoga, clowning workshops and comedy nights will all bring an extra bit of happiness to the day.
Anna Doyle, Producer, CREATE, said: “We have developed a relationship with Something & Son over the past two years and are thrilled to have commissioned The Barking Bathhouse. Working with Barking and Dagenham we hope that the project will reinvigorate Barking town centre, bringing back a social space for local people, as well as providing a place for visitors to escape the crowds in central London during the Olympic period. CREATE is a great place to nurture new design talents like Something & Son, and The Barking Bathhouse is very exciting project for east London.”
Councillor Collins, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: “I am thrilled that Barking and Dagenham is taking part in the CREATE festival this year, and in such a big way too. The Barking Bathhouse sounds like a fantastic concept and I am looking forward to seeing it operational. I am sure it will have something of interest to everyone and would like to encourage everyone to visit and take advantage of the facilities on offer.”
Entry
Public areas are free. Treatments can be reserved in advance or ordered on site. Spa: £8, £2 for Barking and Dagenham residents
Events: £4
CREATE in partnership with London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the Mayor of London. Part of the London 2012 Festival.
The history of bathhouses
While the practice of travelling to hot or cold springs in hopes of curing ailments dates back to pre-historic times, the earliest structured baths are found in the ruins in of the Indus Valley Civilization (present-day Pakistan). These were large communal baths reminiscent of modern day swimming pools. It was in ancient Greece and Rome that public baths became a centre of social and recreational activity. The bathing ritual was developed past immersion or sweating with the development of separate areas for massage and relaxation. Gardens, exercise spaces and even libraries and theatres were added. Meanwhile, in Japan, the historical origins of bathing are based in ritual purification with water, with many early Buddhist temples including saunas for free public use. Bathing in these ancient times was a necessity and socialising and relaxing in these spaces was central to daily life. Roman style public baths were introduced to England in the medieval period but these gained a bad reputation as a front for brothels and many closed during the 15th and 16th centuries. It was not until the mid-19th century that Britain’s first true public bath houses were opened, and by 1915 most towns in Britain had at least one.
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Key:
Blue = designers
Red = architects
Yellow = brands
Green = street art
See a larger version of this map
Designed in Hackney is a Dezeen initiative to showcase world-class architecture and design created in the borough, which is one of the five host boroughs for the London 2012 Olympic Games as well as being home to Dezeen’s offices. We’ll publish buildings, interiors and objects that have been designed in Hackney each day until the games this summer.
More information and details of how to get involved can be found at www.designedinhackney.com.
The post The Barking Bathhouse
by Something & Son appeared first on Dezeen.
A herb garden surrounds this glass-fronted spa in Santiago by Chilean studio LAND Arquitectos.
The single-storey building is named Spa Atrapa Árbol, which translates as Catch Tree Spa, because it wraps around a courtyard and tree.
A narrow skylight runs along the ceiling of a corridor connecting the sauna and hot tub rooms with a furnished living room.
The sauna is located on the glazed north side of the building and overlooks an outdoor terrace.
An exposed brick wall lines the rear of the building.
This isn’t the first building we’ve published that wraps around an existing tree – see our recent story about a house cranked around an oak tree.
Photography is by Sergio Pirrone.
Here’s some text in Spanish from LAND Arquitectos:
Spa Atrapa Árbol
Trabajamos el modelamiento del lugar en conjunto con el diseño del objeto arquitectónico, de manera de poder llevar el espacio exterior natural hacia el interior de la obra.
Este proyecto se genera desde el paisajismo, como un jardín aterrazado, se pliega desde el comienzo hacia el final del terreno, a través de jardineras escalonadas, escaleras y macetas, rematando en una maceta central, espacio donde existía un antiguo Damasco en el terreno, contenido entre los dos espacios principales del interior del proyecto.
El trabajo de la luz pretende lograr un espacio permeable entre exterior e interior que constate el paso del día, a través de lucarnas y piel vidriada a lo largo de casi la mitad del perímetro del proyecto.
El color del interior Blanco, y muebles en obra de espejo, aportan también reflejos y constatan sombras de la vegetación que rodea al proyecto.
Uno de los muros perimetrales de ladrillo, entra hacia el interior, a modo de conectarse visualmente con el exterior.
Espacialmente también se logra esto, en el espacio de estar, al poder abrirlo en dos de sus caras completamente.
Desde el programa, los dos espacios principales están separados físicamente, pero conectados visual y espacialmente, a través del patio central del Damasco. La lucarna principal atraviesa el proyecto aumentando la percepción del espacio exterior en el interior del proyecto.
Click above for larger image
Estrategias sustentables pasivas aplicadas:
Click above for larger image
Autores: LAND arquitectos (Cristóbal Valenzuela Haeussler + Angela Delorenzo Arancibia) Colaboradores: Juan Carlos Muños y Gonzalo Arteche
Ingeniero: Sanitario Hernán Morales
Paisajismo: LAND arquitectos
Calculo: Cargaz Ingeniería
Click above for larger image
Arquitectura de Iluminación: LAND Arquitectos
Ingeniería Electricidad: TecHome
Construcción: Cúbica 3
Audio: Luis López
Click above for larger image
Localización: Las Condes, Santiago,Chile
Superficie: 166 m²
Año del proyecto: 2010 Año
Four tips on where to eat, sleep and get pampered in North America’s largest mountain resort
Recently spending a week at Whistler Blackcomb (my annual snowboarding destination), I stuck to some of my favorite gear and places but also used the trip as an opportunity to try some new things. This first story, in a series of three, focuses on highlights of Whistler itself. Stay tuned for a gear round-up and apparel review both later this week.
While a little off the beaten path, the Four Seasons makes up for it with spacious rooms that all come equipped with cozy fireplaces, thick terry robes and toasty down comforters. Impeccable food throughout its two restaurants and full bar service at the hot tub lends easy indulgence to a stay there. Being out of the fray of the main village provides a peaceful atmosphere, and a constantly rotating shuttle bus and Mercedes MLS courtesy car provide easy access to everything—nearly on demand.
New to Whistler this year, the Scandinave Spa is exactly what the resort town has been missing. The 3 acre property has multiple baths of varied temperatures, a large steam room and huge pine sauna. All of these features are outside and set in to a beautiful, rustic slope, complimented by modern Nordic-style buildings that house a café, along with locker and treatment rooms. The deep tissue massage I had there was one of the best resort-town massages I’ve ever had.
Down near the Creekside Village is the Rim Rock Cafe, an old Whistler standby. Skipping the fanfare of complicated dishes and stuffy interior design, this restaurant features local foods in simple preparations alongside a wide selection of regional wines. Be sure to request a table by the fireplace for a touch of authentic charm.
At the top of the Crystal Chair on Blackcomb is the best food on either of the mountains. While you’ll smell the waffles before you enter the door, it’s the salmon, potatoes and veggies prepared in their wood-burning oven that win me over. Plan ahead though, Crystal Hut is a small space that gets crowded, and food is made to order so there’s plenty of waiting.
The renowned British members-only club opens its doors to Miami surf and sun
by John Ortved
Despite sandy beaches and tropical influence, when it comes to social life, Miami isn’t known as the warmest of places. Inundated with velvet ropes, crowded clubs, big cars and bigger jewelry, the Florida metropolis recently received an attractive antidote with the arrival of the Soho Beach House.
Situated just a short distance north of the South Beach strip on Miami Beach, Soho Beach House—complete with Cowshed Spa—hopes to bring the brand’s mix of exclusive intimacy to a scene weary of its anti-poseur atmosphere.
Soho House has always been, first and foremost, about its clientele. The establishment itself is difficult to pigeonhole—it’s a members-only club, just like its fellow Houses in L.A., New York, London and Berlin; it’s also a boutique hotel, providing 50 rooms to paying guests who get to act like members; it’s an accessible spa, offering anyone massages, blowouts and pedicures, using their exclusive Cowshed products; it’s a beach club, with beds and full service on its own strip of sand; and it’s a restaurant, Cecconi’s, offering pricey but well-prepared Venetian delicacies.
The Beach House successfully blurs the boundaries between Miami old and new. With designer Martin Brudnizki (who redid London’s Club at The Ivy), they’ve taken over the space formerly occupied by one of Miami’s great Art Deco hotels, The Sovereign, gutting the interiors and building a second tower, but leaving behind the lobby detailing and flooring, as well as its classic façade. Santo Trafficante might feel at home, but so will you as you sink into the rich upholstered sofas that adorn its lobby, as you plug in your laptop and sip a café proffered by the Cuban coffee bar.
Light and unpretentious, the hotel’s 50 rooms feature giant rainforest showers, large flat-screen TVs and massive king-size beds. The rooms range in price ($500-$1475) with suites boasting stand-alone baths, ocean views and wraparound terraces inviting guests to relax both indoors and out.
Dim hallways house ink drawings and paintings by local artists, books piled on old wooden shelves, and antique desks—all a club-like rendering of the carefully curated, bric-a-brac collector’s aesthetic known well to shoppers at Jack Spade, and mastered by John Derian. The best example is the 8th floor lounge with its antique furniture, inviting couches, impeccable views and a rooftop swimming pool and bar just steps away.
With similar disregard for borders, the lobby’s unobtrusive but bright coloring, displayed under Brudnizki’s custom Deco-inspired chandelier, gives way to the outdoor restaurant, decorated with wood and Edison lightbulbs in Mason jars that form a glowing trellis with the tanglewood trees from which they hang. The break between the indoors and out, between work, lounging and dining spaces is nearly invisible.
The 2nd floor, members-only cocktail bar—featuring a giant timber bar and tiled floor and tables is inspired by 1940s Cuban watering holes like La Bodeguita del Medio. The exterior seating seamlessly gives way to the swimming pool, and then to the beach. Accessed through a hallway of reclaimed wooden walls (from a barn in Wyoming), the bar leads to the airy Cowshed Spa and a 40-seat “Screening Snug” where they will show first-run films, like the upcoming “Carlos.” Your mouthwatering Manhattan can take you from your blowout to a film to the sand in barely a sip.
Founder Nick Jones’ aspiration to achieve “flip flop glamor” nicely embodies the challenge of Soho Beach House. These are things that either cannot, or should not, go well together: a ’40s Cuban bar and a high-end spa; a restaurant that gives way to a swimming pool; a private club that is, in some facets, open to the public. The success of Soho House will be in how they keep those borders blurred. That, and making sure the border between Soho Beach House and South Beach stays tightly guarded.
Recent winner of a 2009 Green Good Design Award, Bali’s Alila Villas Uluwatu sets a soaring example of what it currently means to be a luxurious green resort. Stylish clifftop villas, designed and constructed according to a strict Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) framework, earn the posh destination the highest level of sustainable certification—a first for any Balinese resort.
Perched high up on the southern coastline of Bali’s Bukit Peninsula, not far from the area’s famous surf break, the spa resort expertly champions the concept of creating a modern yet unimposing locale that seamlessly blends in with its natural surroundings.
The Singapore-based architecture firm Woha, a company known for its sustainable housing projects, modeled the Balinese-inspired villas on open-air structures. Guests can adjust the flow of natural breezes via sliding glass doors, while airy wooden cabanas and relaxation pavilions jutting out over the Indian Ocean resemble cubic Bauhaus nests.
To help sustain local bird and animal populations, indigenous plants are cultivated at an on-site nursery. Other ESD measures include the use of local construction materials such as teak, lava rock and bamboo as well as water conservation through the use of salt water pools and gray water systems help recycle laundry, dishwashing and bathing water for landscape irrigation.
Villas begin at $800 per night, to book visit Mr and Mrs Smith.
Situated in the center of Paris, the calming Six Senses Spa services and interiors offer visitors an afternoon of otherworldly respite from daily life.
Recently-opened within the Westin Hotel (one of the chain’s better properties thanks to its location in Paris’ posh 1st arrondissement), the 2,700 square-foot haven includes a menu of pampering treatments inspired by the Far East, as well as some sourced from Paris’ own backyard. Along with herbal Thai-style massage and detoxifying seaweed body wraps, one of the spa’s signature facials relies on honey pollinated from bees in the the nearby Jardin des Tuileries and produced on the rooftop of the city’s celebrated Palais Garnier opera house.
The first French branch of the notable exotic-chic spa and resort chain, other locations include Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Thailand and Vietnam. Designed by French architect Pierre David, a finalist in the recent World Trade Center Memorial competition, the space features a palette of muted tones derived from Brazilian hardwood and Greek marble. One wall displays a digitally-projected panorama of the Parisian skyline (captured in real-time), while a lush vertical garden cultivated with plant species from far-flung locales occupies another.
Even more curious, two cocoons enclose the rooms where treatments occur, lending a warmth that’s undoubtedly good feng shui. Part space pod, part mega-gourd, curved bands of oak treated with a scrim-like fabric on the interior comprise the structures.
Six Sense’s name comes from the body’s five senses, plus the euphoric sensation one has when everything comes into perfect harmony—a name aptly describing this spa.
The CH-curated Miami getaway ends soon! This all-expenses-paid trip, created with Jetsetter, includes private museum tours, and three nights at the Viceroy Hotel. To enter, visit Jetsetter and sign up for their emails announcing exclusive travel opportunities. It’s free to sign up, and you can unsubscribe at any time, but time is running out. The drawing ends tomorrow—8 April 2010.
We love Miami and joined forces with Jetsetter to provide a lucky reader (and guest) with the opportunity to experience it in style—with visits to galleries and museums, checking out great shops, and eating at some of our favorite restaurants.
The winner will speak with Cool Hunting’s editors and Liza, our in-the-know Miami contributor. Together we’ll create a one-of-a-kind experience including:
• Two airline tickets from anywhere in the U.S. to Miami
• Three nights at the Kelly Wearstler-designed Viceroy Miami hotel
• Spa treatments for two at the Philippe Starck-designed Spa at Icon Brickell
• Complimentary use of a new Volkswagen GTI for zipping around town
• A private tour of the Museum of Contemporary Art with Bonnie Clearwater, Executive Director and Chief Curator
• A Private tour of the Bass Museum of Art
• An exclusive tour of the design collective Friends With You studio and store, plus an exclusive gift bag
• A custom culture and shopping guide prepared exclusively for you
• Reservations at Cool Hunting’s favorite restaurants
Entering is easy. All you have to do is visit Jetsetter and sign up for their emails announcing exclusive travel opportunities. It’s free to sign up and to enter, and you can unsubscribe at any time. You need to enter before 7 April 2010, and the winner will be announced on 8 April 2010. Good luck!
Enter the CH x Jetsetter Giveaway here
Known the world over for its weather, beaches, increasingly important art, design and cultural scenes and of course its celebrated night life, Miami Beach is perhaps not the first destination you think of when you’re planning a spa getaway. But it’s for all these reasons that I like Canyon Ranch Living, Hotel and Spa Miami Beach so much. You’re in the middle of everything, but it’s extremely easy to turn it all off and spend the day hiking on the beach or taking in the fitness and wellness programs, and enjoying Canyon Ranch’s renowned health-conscious cuisine.
Having had the opportunity to experience Canyon Ranch’s larger and more immersive resort in Lenox, MA on several occasions, I happily accepted the invitation to have a more in-depth experience during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. Conveniently located on Collins Avenue and 68th Street, it is only a few minutes to both Surfside and Bal Harbour to the North, South Beach to the South, Wynwood and the Design District to the West, and the MoCA and cluster of mid-century modern shops Northwest. The resort has 750 feet of prime beach, on a stretch with a wide and well maintained board walk.
Bernardo Fort-Brescia, co-founder of Miami’s most famous architectural firm Arquitectonica, took us on a tour of the resort they designed. The first thing you notice from the porte-cochère as you drive up is the wide open view to the beach through a palm grove. Connecting to the Miami of the past, the hotel is housed in the completely renovated, historic Carillon hotel; it proudly features its original, restored neon sign and recalls its reign as one of the most celebrated hotels of the 1950s. Today the Carillon tower houses the 150 spacious one- and two-bedroom hotel suites, as well as 80 condos, and a dining and retail area.
Bernardo pointed out several of the original design elements, and explained the complexity of the building’s renovation. A testament to good design, it captures the original building’s personality while bringing the space to a more current (and up to code) presence. One of the bigger challenges facing the design team was the building’s numerous columns, which are now completely invisible as you walk through the suites. Other benefits of the restoration include the addition of floor-to-ceiling glass to better enjoy the views and interiors by David Rockwell and his team at Rockwell Group.
The core of the resort is the 70,000-square-foot Wellness Spa—it’s as big as it sounds. Here, you get all of the Canyon Ranch love that made them famous. The Spa includes the Wellness Center, where you can consult with physicians about injuries, ailments, weight loss, prevention and healthy living. The fitness center offers nearly every type of cardio and workout equipment (including a climbing wall and Pilates machines), and dozens of exercise, movement and fitness classes. You can of course chill at one of the pools, sit on the beach, take a class at the outdoor fitness studio, or enjoy one of the 54 treatment rooms, which house some of the best spa treatments you’ll find anywhere in just about every flavor. My favorites are Ashiatsu and Reflexology, the latter done on a Neuroacoustic Sound Table, which uses sound technology to help relax minds and bodied. The Spa also includes his and hers Aquavana thermal suites—a collection of hydrospas, saunas, steam rooms, laconiums (dry saunas) and showers.
The Hotel and Spa are flanked by two newly constructed condo towers, where one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments (from 720 to more than 3,500 square-feet) feature amazing city, bay and ocean views, Rockwell-designed interiors, and of course use of the Wellness Spa and restaurants. Residents also can relax at their own pools if they don’t feel like mingling with the hotel guests. You can learn all about The Residences online.
Well-known for its approach to healthy eating, the Canyon Ranch Grill delivers on that promise with low calorie, tasty and fulfilling meals that feature local and organic food whenever possible. The South Beach Wine and Food Festival brought Executive Chef Scott Uehlein out from the Tucson resort, and he treated us to the most memorable five-course meal with fewer than 800 calories that I’ve ever eaten. Unlike the other Canyon Ranch resorts, the Miami property doesn’t ignore the city’s other temptations, and offers a really great selection of organic and biodynamic beer, wine and spirits. You can also eat the Carillon Café or poolside at The Cabana.
While the wholly engaging nature of the Tucson and Lenox resorts create a more complete experience, the Miami Beach Hotel and Spa offers a uniquely refreshing way to experience Miami.
More photos by Nikolas Koenig in the gallery.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
