Hotel Well
The addition to an existing
congress/wellness hotel is located in the thermal complex “Terme Tuhelj”,
Croatia, next to the protected historical park and baroque Curia “Mihanović”.
The starting point of the
project was the idea of connecting all the existing and new facilities and
integrating them into a new and meaningful ensemble.
With respect to the
existing pavilion-like organisation, the architects developed a concept of a
“detached” hotel, providing the users a connection with nature from all the inside
spaces.
The program of the new part
of a hotel is clearly vertically separated (public + accommodation). 126 rooms
are divided into three smaller pavilions (along to the three old ones) and the “public”
facilities are organized into elongated ground base. This base assimilates some
of the existing “public” spaces and connects all old and new accommodation
pavilions.
This organisation provided
natural light even in congress halls with beautiful views to the Zagorje
landscape. Dividing the accomodation facilities into three pavilions provided all
of the rooms with nice views to the scenery.
Terrain configuration is
used to form an amphitheater in the center that provides a visual and spatial
communication of the congress center and hotel lobby with the baroque Curia in
the background. This space, besides the added value for the hotel and
convention center, can adopt a whole range of different activities and could
contribute to the social life of local community.
The selection of materials
for the facade envelope marks the theme of duality (light / heavy). Side
facades are "wrapped" with the envelope of lightweight aluminum
composite panels colored in gold whose perforations allow views from the rooms.
The rest of the facades and roof surfaces are covered with precast concrete
panels, partly opening as perforated 'eyelids' in front of the windows.
This intervention enters
the dialogue with the existing context by using contemporary architectural
language. Through that dialogue, without “blending-in”, it aims to establish
new and more complex spatial relations.