Spa in Beirut - Lebanon, 2011

Collaborators: Eva Christine Schenck, Daniela Ogis, Simone Lorenzoni

This project for a spa in the Lebanese capital began as an addition to a hotel from the 1960s situated in a park with a commanding view of the city. To realise the spa the client opted for a contemporary renovation of a traditional Lebanese building near the hotel, characterised by exposed stone walls and a large loggia of ogival arches. 

The project involves 1,000 square meters on two levels, with a new volume attached to the existing. A sequence of communicating interior spaces is defined by a system of vaulted roofs that remain separate from the building structure. The resulting suggestive interstitial space can be glimpsed through a series of vertical cuts in the vaults to amplify the perspectives from room to the next. This device is a hallmark of the office’s work that dates back to the villas in Sicily and Positano. The external surface of the vaults is finished in a fabric of new majolica tiles decorated with historic motifs.  

The new addition, which contains a large pool, features large projecting openings that offer additional spaces of inhabitation, perfect for seated conversations or admiring the landscape. The exterior windows are screened by brise-soleil that can be opened fully to create an uninterrupted connection between interior and exterior. Only in this case is the ceramic skin used to finish the undersides of the vaults, wrapping guests in a complex decorative mantle. 

The lower floor was renovated according to the same logic to house a large traditional Turkish bath.  

Custom designed furnishings for the spa include floor lamps with shades perforated by typical geometric patterns that create suggestive plays of light and shadow.