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Architects: Luís Rebelo de Andrade
- Area: 102 m²
- Year: 2017
- Photographs: João Guimarães
Text description provided by the architects. As everyone knows, all rainbows end in Ireland. And, as it is also known, at the end of the rainbow lies a pot of gold guarded by an attentive leprechaun. Exchange the leprechaun for the reception of the resort and the pot of gold for the SPA and you will get an idea of the magic involved in the experience of spending a few days at Finn Lough.
With any luck, the day will welcome the traveller with sun timidly piercing the mist, revealing trees that for a few moments could be confused with looming giants, standing still. As the mist clears, the lake emerges, hills arise delineating the landscape and the volumes comprising the SPA. These are the result of the creative experimentation applied to this cube with its hip roof which inspired the composition of its different elements.
The exterior of the volumes is covered in a corrugated sheet whose oxidative treatment is purposely aimed at aging it faster. From its current golden hue, it will become a brownish colour that will be easily integrated among the surrounding trees. The sides of the cube that were redesigned inside are covered with burnt wood, contributing to disguise the volumes within the nature receiving them.
Following the trajectory, along which all the SPA’s facilities can be enjoyed, we reencounter along the way the various volumes removed from the original cube. The organization, colour and lighting of every space is different and specific, reflecting the therapeutic personality of each one of these spaces. And they appear as if verses of a poem whose meaning – like all good poems – is distinctive each time that it is read.
