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De Levende Spa / The Living Spa

Part 2 Project 2020
Oliver Moran
 Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool | UK
‘The Living Spa’ is a project situated in the Old Dock area of Ghent. The project aims to provide a retreat within the city which people can use to reconnect with the city’s history and cleanse themselves of the everyday stresses of life by immersing within the spa's pools and facilities. Rather than being placed in an area of natural beauty, the spa is situated on the canal side in the post industrial ‘Old Port of Ghent’.

This setting creates its own sense of tranquillity overlooking the vast open ‘Houtdok Quay’ where a system inspired by ‘the living machine’ purifies the water. Water is taken from the canal through a series of pools, all containing different living things from molluscs to plants that each contribute to the purification of the canal water. The purified water is then used to fill numerous pools throughout the building in a mixture of public and private spaces. Visitors are encouraged to take a journey through these spaces to be able to find relaxation or interaction. The aesthetic of the building is inspired by the existing arches that were once the dock’s walls, reinterpreted to create a network of contemporary vaults and arches.



Tutor(s)
Dominic Wilkinson
2020
The site plan shows the building and the surrounding context. Placed at the end of the ‘Houtdok Quay’ the building looks over the developed quay where the natural water purification takes place inspired by the ideas of the living machine to
This axonometric drawing of the building shows how the building sits within the urban environment. It also shows the level change as well as the building's relationship with the designed public realm.
The floor plans show the internal arrangements of the building. There are three floors within the building –the service basement, the water level where the main aquatic spaces are situated and the park level.
These images show a perspectival view of the four main elevations.
This image shows a section through the centre of the main pool hall and expresses the interior quality of the spaces within the building.
This series of views through the building explain the journey that users are encouraged to use to experience the building. Starting from outside, to changing, preparation, private experiences, public experiences and finally with refreshment.
These selections of visuals show different internal and external perspectives that help to show the materiality of the building as well as the general aesthetics.
Due to the nature of aquatic buildings things such as condensation, maintenance andairflow/control need to be designed with extra care. This strategy looks to reduce the impact of problems such as settling condensation with heated ‘vulnerable’ s
The proposed structure for the building is made up of load-bearing brick arches and vaults above the water level and reinforced concrete below the water level. The details have been designed to create a heavy, earthy aesthetic inspired by and de
These diagrammatic images show the main public realm proposals that surround the building.
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