Spa In Bologna
Our idea is to make the position of different rooms in section according to the interior temperature.
The skin is created out of 8 precast concrete units. These units are staggered across the facade in order to balance the required glazing with the necessity for self shading to reduce solar heat gain. The units catch two forms of solar radiation, heat and light. The thick skin shades itself in an updated version of a brise-soleil and through the dimpling in the panels catches shadows producing an all-over optical effect. Each panel is dimpled toward a slightly different depth.
These catch the light of the sun to create a shallow relief of vibrated shadows. The facade is conceived of as a bas-relief sculpture.
The shadow play is further intensified as the sun moves through the day creating radically different effects at different times. Of particular interest architecturally was how the pattern of dimpled panels moved across the corner condition.
The building is held as a pure box with 90 degree corners, but the pattern is independent of the building geometry and optically moves through the corner. This was an attempt to estrange the building through a decoration of surface qualities at odds with the simplicity of the mass.
Credits
Luca Beltrame
Ziwar AL Nouri
Marko Margeta
Andrea Carniti