Space Oddity Overflow Spa by Olivier Felix Isselin is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award in Bathroom Furniture and Sanitary Ware Design Competition Category.
IronSanitary Ware· 2023
Space Oddity Overflow Spa
Client: Olivier Felix Isselin
A' Design Award Winner in Sanitary Ware Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #150247The Design
About Space Oddity Overflow Spa
Space Oddity plays with gravity with its sleek lines and use of stainless steel, allowing it to blend seamlessly in any indoor or outdoor setting, whether it be contemporary or classic. Its aesthetics do not compromise on comfort of use, featuring an ergonomic seat, a soft-touch interior surface, and the possibility of placing jets and blowers on demand. Options such as the choice of grid (shape and material), and the color of the tank make each Space Oddity unique. In addition, this stainless steel overflow spa is weather resistant and easy to maintain. Finally, it is completely recyclable.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award
Space Oddity Overflow Spa is an Iron A' Design Award winner, a prestigious recognition granted to good designs that meet the professional and industrial requirements expected from well-designed creations. Iron winners demonstrate great skill, high specialization, expert understanding, and creative capacity of their creators. Space Oddity Overflow Spa is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished creation that is practical and innovative. This Iron A' Design Award-winning design integrates industry best practices and has competent technical characteristics linked with know-how and talent. Space Oddity Overflow Spa is respected for its thoroughness and is designed to provide quality of life improvements that help make the world a better place.
Interviews
Design Interview
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
The goal was to create an overflow spa with an immediately recognizable design that plays with gravity, like a sculpture. Its elegant silhouette, curved edges, and capsule-like shapes give it a light and joyful appearance: a deliberate space age look that recalls a time of freedom and carelessness. To achieve this appearance, the spa had to be entirely made of marine stainless steel. This material has aesthetic, hygienic, and ecological qualities as it is 100% recyclable with a neutral impact on the environment and unparalleled durability.
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
I was interested in the spa because I don't like what's out there. Most of the products in this segment compete on the basis of ugliness: it's a true tuning contest. However, wellness is also about beauty!
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
Now we need to find a bright future for this spa and find the right distributors and prescribers around the world.
Grand Interview
Your innovative use of marine stainless steel AISI 316L in Space Oddity Overflow Spa challenges traditional spa materials - could you elaborate on how this material choice influenced both the aesthetic and environmental aspects of your design?
I initially used stainless steel to manufacture pools. The aesthetic of the material is undeniable. Its combination with water enhances the object, and its color, which depends on the environment in which Space Oddity is placed, allows it to fit in any context.From an environmental standpoint, I am well aware that we can’t really talk about an eco-friendly material when it comes to stainless steel (even though it is a recycled product and 100% recyclable). However—and this is a point that really matters to me—it is a durable material, and unlike many objects made from other materials, I believe my spas will outlast me… Durability is part of ecology too!
The Space Oddity Overflow Spa's distinctive 'space age' aesthetic creates a striking visual statement - what inspired you to merge retro-futuristic elements with contemporary wellness design, and how did this vision evolve during the development process?
It is very difficult for me to answer this point. The fusion of retro-futuristic elements with contemporary wellness design is not a deliberate choice. It is just a fact. I do not start a project thinking I will create an object with this or that ingredient. I try to remain free. Then, like any creator, my inspiration comes from what I experience, what I have seen, and what has pleased me… However, as its name suggests, the space age universe and, more generally, that of modernists have nourished me.
The ergonomic features of Space Oddity Overflow Spa, particularly the soft-touch interior surface achieved through glass bead blasting, represent a fascinating blend of comfort and technology - could you walk us through the research and development process that led to these specific finishing choices?
We conducted a number of tests. I did not want a polished mirror-finish interior surface due to the risk of scratches… Brushed stainless steel was not the solution either because of the linear aspect of the brushing. We needed to find something else. We therefore tried sandblasting, projections of various materials with different consistencies at different pressures. Ultimately, it was the glass bead blasting that convinced me, both visually and in terms of touch: it is very pleasant.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The Space Oddity spa's sleek lines and use of stainless steel magnify any environment in which it is installed, whether indoors or outdoors. This aesthetic does not compromise on comfort of use, as it features an ergonomic seat and a soft-touch interior surface (microblasted stainless steel), along with the possibility to place jets and blowers on demand. Furthermore, this durable and fully recyclable spa offers customizable options, such as the color of the tank.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Space Oddity, overflow hot-tub :
Overall dimensions : 2480 mm x 2400 mm x 910 mm
Buffer tank height: 380 mm
height above ground: 530 mm
Exterior tank diameter: 2380 mm
Diameter Interior tank: 2000 mm
Water height: 827 mm
Materials: AISI 315L stainless steel (called marine stainless steel) - Tags
- Spa, Hot-tub, nordic bath, stainless steel, wellness, luxury, bath
- Production Technology
- The design of the spa involves 3D computer modeling and real modeling for the seat. It is constructed from AISI 316L stainless steel, using technologies such as bending, TIG welding, and stamping, as well as flanging for the curved parts. The external part undergoes electrolytic polishing to make it shiny, while the interior undergoes glass bead blasting to homogenize the components and obtain a satin appearance for a soft-touch feel. Finally, the entire spa is treated with DBP 451 in the factory.
- Design Challenge
- The complexity of the project, in addition to the desire for extreme simplification of the general line, was to make the object drawn technically feasible and easy to maintain, with particular attention given to accessibility and nozzle installation. All the technical parts of the spa are easily accessible.
- Research
- Objective: To create a high-end stainless steel spa that is both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly, while ensuring durability and longevity.
Methodology: Utilizing our in-depth knowledge of spas, we conducted extensive research with specialists in water treatment, boilermaking, and physiotherapy to ensure feasibility and optimal ergonomics.
In order to simplify maintenance and prevent noise pollution during use, it was necessary to relocate the machinery. Additionally, a structure was added beneath the spa to facilitate easy transport and installation. - Inspiration
- I wanted to create a spa with an instantly recognizable design that plays with gravity, like a sculpture. Its elegant silhouette, curved edges, and capsular shapes give it a light and joyful appearance, with an assumed "space age" look that refers to an era of freedom and carelessness.
To achieve this look, the spa had to be made entirely of marine stainless steel. This material has aesthetic, hygienic, and ecological qualities, as it is 100% recyclable with a neutral impact on the environment and unrivaled durability. - Project Duration
- The project starts in 2021 and finished in February 2023 in Agay (France).
- Operation Flow
- Space Oddity is versatile and can be used as a spa, hot tub, cold bath, and even functions as a sculpture when not in use. Made entirely of marine stainless steel, it is extremely resistant to corrosion and 100% recyclable. The interior walls have a soft-touch finish, making them both soft and non-slip. Additionally, Space Oddity distinguishes itself with its quiet operation, thanks to the remote machinery, which separates the pumps, sand filter, ozonator, and heat exchanger from the spa. Finally, the spa is highly customizable, allowing for individualized design and options.
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to Olivier Felix Isselin, 2023.
Deposit Model INPI n° 20230391 - Image Credits
- Image credits : Olivier Felix Isselin
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