May 31, 2016

8 Bold Starchitect-Designed Spas Of The Future By Keith Flamer

Rumors of a starchitect demise are premature. Adventurous star architects are straying beyond their unique structures (dipping their toes into infinity pools and trying their hand at Lomi Lomi massages)—by designing spas. Trendy hotels, resorts and their privileged guests are the chief beneficiaries. Here are eight starchitect-designed spas (recently completed or under construction) to explore.

Zaha Hadid: One Thousand Museum, Miami

Is there any question who designed this? Among her final projects, Hadid (designer of London’s Olympic Aquatic Centre) takes another lap around the pool in her only U.S. residential project. Beaming with sunlight, this “museum-quality” condo has an upper-level double-height aquatic center and a lower-level spa overlooking a sculptural Sun & Swim Terrace. It includes massage and beauty treatment rooms, rain showers, steam and sauna, plunge pools, relaxation lounge, and indoor-outdoor fitness areas.

Bjarke Ingels: Grove at Grand Bay, Miami

Bjarke Ingel’s 98-unit twin towers (20-stories each) in Coconut Grove twist at a 38-degree angle which optimizes Biscayne Bay views and creates a distinctive condominium layout with five pools (two rooftop, terrace-style, indoor) and a 1,700-square-foot spa with private, open-air treatment rooms that are both meditative and vegetative (lush walls and gardens). There’s even a pet spa.

Thomas Juul-Hansen: 11 Beach Street, New York City

Tribeca’s “downtown-inspired” 11 Beach Street includes three tranquil neighborhood townhouses, each with sleek subterranean spas which Juul-Hansen calls “extraordinarily unusual” for New York City. These private spas boast floor-to-ceiling imported stone, a custom 50-foot-long stainless steel pool with glass wall, steam room, sauna, rainforest shower, and lounge and exercise zones—serene underground spaces far from the city noise.

Kengo Kuma: Yunfeng Spa Resort, Tengchong, China

The star Japanese architect’s Taoism-inspired spa resort utilizes locally-quarried gray and green stones assembled in a mosaic construction to form pixellated walls, roofs and paved walkways. Located next to a sacred Taoism mountain, the spiritual spa represents simplicity and harmony with earth (particularly the surrounding forest) via individual bungalows, serene courtyard gardens, plunge pools, wooden patios, smooth stone ledges, and meditative pillows and soft lighting.

Isay Weinfeld: Fasano Miami Beach, Miami

By 2018, Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld’s ultra modern spa sanctuary will showcase South Beach’s largest oceanfront swimming pool—a 250-foot-long lagoon measuring 9,500 square feet amid an Enzo Enea-designed garden. This secluded oasis will be framed by alcoves, shade trees, and an ocean-facing bar. Three exclusive, sleek poolside Beach Houses with glazed privacy windows will offer amenities such as private plunge pools, sauna, and spa therapy rooms as well as indoor/outdoor living space.

Deborah Burke, 432 Park Avenue, New York City

The western hemisphere’s tallest residential skyscraper offers a spa dominated by 30-foot Beachwood ceilings and 10-by-10-foot windows that invite natural light and expansive city views. Beautified with contemporary finishes (marble walls and countertops; oak floors), this slick spa features a fitness center with teakwood sauna, steam and massage rooms—designed by the new dean of Yale’s School of Architecture’s, which celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Joseph Dirand: Surf Club Four Seasons Hotel & Residences, Surfside, Florida

French architect Joseph Dirand (designer of Givenchy’s Paris house) unveils his first U.S. spa—a 15,000-square-foot therapeutic center flooded with sunshine, water vistas, and a color palette of crisp whites and natural blues reflecting “the light, sand, ocean and sky colors that make Miami so sexy and unique,” he says. This palette is harmonious with the cool serenity of heat and treatment areas, and advanced skincare regimens courtesy of private Spa Cabanas with direct beach access. Isay Weinfeld: Jardim, New York City

Weinfeld is at it again with his first foray into New York City wellness. This trendy 36-residence West Chelsea condominium (one to four bedrooms) just west of the famed High Line is highlighted by the architect’s lower-level wellness center with fitness center, massage room, and contemporary indoor swimming pool with stylish vertical wood paneling and multiple skylights flanked by lush gardens.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/keithflamer/2016/05/31/8-bold-starchitect-designed-spas-of-the-future/#5dbce17f349e