Project in Detail
Wellness Orhidelia
Podcetrtek, Slovenia
enota
2009
World Architecture Festival 2009 - Shortlisted
Miran Kambic
Wellnes Orhidelia is situated in Terme Olimia thermal complex in Pod?etrtek, Slovenia. Founded in late seventies, when they started to exploit thermal water, the complex was originally designed as health center for medical cure after injuries and the visit was “sponsored” by state health insurance company. With the fall of socialistic system, situation changed radically. The owners were forced to adapt to new conditions, trying to take advantage of beautifully surroundings and invite the customers with more wellness-oriented program.
Lately the new management is trying to lift the bar even higher and Wellness Orhidelia is third in a row of projects that enota was asked to do in last couple of years. It follows the extension of original pool complex Termalija and new Hotel Sotelia which was designed to attract also more demanding guests.
All three project were designed with an ambition to intervene as little as possible into the existing scenery trying to connect with beautiful nature of the area.
Main goal while designing Wellness Orhidelia was to diminish as much as possible its presence in the surroundings. Since the demanded program of wellness center is very extensive and in parts it demands overcoming great spans and big heights of inner spaces, putting up classically conceived building on central green plot would fill up last remaining open area in thermal complex and largely degraded its spatial quality.
New wellness center is consecutively designed rather like a landscape arrangement then a building. Folded elevations appear like supporting walls dividing different levels of landscape surfaces. Central walking path is now stretched over the roof and enables visitors completely new, different experience of the site. On both ends, where strolling path connects with passing inner roads, it forms two smaller public squares to control the speed of vehicles and ultimately gives advantage to pedestrians over the traffic.
Rather then searching for its own expression and claiming its space new object connects existing single buildings and other spatial elements in the whole.
Lead Architect »
enota
Professional Credits »
Climatisation & plumbing
Nombiro, Celarc
Slovenia
Electrical instalation
Forte inženiring
Slovenia
Landscape Architect
Bruto
Slovenia
Structural Engineer
Elea iC
Slovenia