rebirth of the bath house - liepaja

[what]: competition by Homemade Dessert. we were asked to reactivate the bath house building as well as add new structures and new functions to the complex.

[where]: liepaja, latvia

[who]: raquel prendes, patricia aute, lucía balboa 

[when]: may 2014

The urban layout seeks the connection with the existing building, as well as a clear distribution of different uses. According to this main approach, the access is straight into the mezzanine, and immediately divides the plan in four parts that don’t interfere into each other: offices, public area, spa and hotel.

A main vertical connection integrates the project into the existing building, breaking through the back part of the existing bathhouse. This connection shelters a café, restaurant, private lounge and outdoor bar, depending on each level, as a nexus in between the hotel, the spa and the public area.

The hotel is located in the old bathhouse, so the visitors can feel in their own skin the “magic” of this historic building. The public area is located at the left part of the plot, next to the parking lot, in order to provide straight access to the visitors that come to the retail area or restaurant. The spa is located on the right side of the plot, which is the broadest one as well: this way the visitors can relax, enjoying the itineraries of baths and treatments, and surrounded by nature. A new garden is designed, with limited paved areas, in order to control the circulation of the visitors and emphasize the green areas.