White Digger: New Wellness and Spa by Tomas Ghisellini Architects

A brand new wellness space made of transparency is set in the very heart of the Riviera Grand Hotel, the highly renowned historical hotel complex along the Ionian Salento coast.

Architect: Tomas Ghisellini Architects
Client: CDS Hotels Ltd
Location: Nardò (Lecce), Southern Italy
Year: 2018
Gross built area: 300 m2
Design Team: Tomas Ghisellini, Alice Marzola, Lucrezia Alemanno, Daniele Francesco Petralia
Coordination: Lucrezia Alemanno, Daniele Francesco Petralia
Photography: Tomas Ghisellini

From the architect: A fluid sequence of visually and physically communicating rooms is unraveled as a semi-hypogeal irresistible gallery to be gradually and surprisingly discovered.

The spa is literally carved within the golden stone mountain body. Bare rocks, water and pure white sharp and elementary volumes with a hidden bronze inner pulp build a superminimal interior scenario where turkish bath, massage rooms, sea water pools, emotional showers, color rooms, Kneipp path, hydromassage, decontracting waterfalls and beauty treatment halls take place.

The common image of the hotel spa as a completely enclosed, picturesque and artificially illuminated box is here completely overturned by a space of natural light where shadows and obscurities are preciously captivated and preserved by tiny "houses" acting like protective jewel cases.

Every visitor, walking through fantastic glows and shining clouds of light feels here within like a white digger!

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