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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.



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2020
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