In Seclusion Hana Nui: Spa Kapa Muliwai by Zehua Zhang

In Seclusion Hana Nui: Spa Kapa Muliwai by Zehua Zhang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Keleawe in Hoʻolālā Hale, Kūkulu a me Hōʻuluʻulu Competition Category.

KeleaweHoʻolālā Hale· 2026

In Seclusion Hana Nui: Spa Kapa Muliwai

by Zehua Zhang

Client: Zehua Zhang

A' Design Award Keleawe Winner in Hoʻolālā Hale Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #180620

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About In Seclusion Hana Nui: Spa Kapa Muliwai

ʻO kēia papahana he spa ma ke kapa muliwai ma Pokukala. Ua hoʻonohonoho ʻia ka hoʻolālā ma loko o kahi ʻāina kūlohelohe e kū nei a hoʻohana ʻo ia i nā nui hoʻolālā kahe e hōʻemi i ka hopena ʻike maka. Hoʻokomo ʻia nā wahi aniani nui e ʻae i nā hiʻohiʻona ma waena o nā wahi i loko a me ke kaiapuni e puni ana. Hoʻopili ʻia nā hoʻopau lāʻau a me ka papahele pōhaku ma loko a pau. Loaʻa i ka papahana he sauna, jacuzzi, a me ka ʻauʻau Tureke, i hoʻonohonoho ʻia e hana i kahi kaʻina o nā wahi ʻauʻau. Hoʻonohonoho ka hoʻonohonoho i kēia mau hana e pili ana i ka muliwai a me ka ʻāina e puni ana.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Keleawe

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā In Seclusion Hana Nui: Spa Kapa Muliwai i ka A' Design Award Keleawe, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kūʻokoʻa i ʻike ʻia ma o ka hana noʻeau, ka akamai a me ka makakoho. He mau hana mākaukau a hana noʻeau kupaianaha nā lanakila Keleawe e hōʻoia ana i ka ʻike nui, ka noʻonoʻo a me ka maʻalea o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā In Seclusion Hana Nui: Spa Kapa Muliwai he mea i mahalo nui ʻia, hoʻohiwahiwa ʻia a aloha ʻia, he ʻoihana a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Keleawe e hoʻohui ana i nā hana maikaʻi loa o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana, a maikaʻi no kona nānā ʻana i nā kikoʻī. Hoʻokō maikaʻi ka hoʻolālā In Seclusion Hana Nui: Spa Kapa Muliwai i nā pono, hoʻopā i ka makemake, hoʻohiwahiwa i nā manaʻo a huki i ka makemake e ʻike.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: This is a riverside spa design in Portugal that embodies serene seclusion. It harmonizes fully with its historic and natural surroundings, using low-profile architecture, expansive glass, timber interiors, and stone flooring to blur indoor and outdoor boundaries. Its strengths lie in immersive nature integration, warm materiality, and a layout combining sauna, jacuzzi, and Turkish bath, offering guests a profound, multi-sensory retreat deeply connected to the landscape.
Dimensions & Packaging: Single-story building with overall dimensions of 20 meters in width, 8 meters in depth, and 8 meters in height.
Tags: Landscape architecture, leisure spa, wellness facilities, low-impact design, indoor-outdoor connection, integration with nature, immersive experience
Production Technology: The spa was designed through careful site analysis, integrating gently with the terrain. Timber, beige stone, and low-iron glass were chosen for warmth, durability, and transparency. The process combined ecological sensitivity, modular planning for sauna, jacuzzi, and Turkish bath, and precise glazing to enhance visual connections with nature, creating a harmonious, immersive, and sustainable environment.
Design Challenge: The hardest part was balancing serenity with practicality—preserving the historic watermill while adding modern spa facilities. Internally, respecting the site’s history and ecology challenged design choices. Externally, strict codes, structural limits, and material availability required adaptation. Technology and environmental analysis guided solutions, ensuring minimal impact while creating a harmonious, immersive experience
Research: Type of research: design-focused experiential study. Research objectives: explore how architecture can promote deep relaxation and enhance the human-nature connection. Methodology: combining site analysis, material studies, spatial simulations, and daylight analysis. Data collection: through site photos, topographic drawings, and building equipment specifications. Research tools: cad models, 3d visualizations, material samples, and environmental sensors monitoring light, sound, and water interaction.
Inspiration: The inspiration came from the serene beauty of the Vez River and the timeless presence of the old watermill. I was drawn to creating a space that allows people to reconnect with nature and themselves, offering quietude without isolation. My motive was to design a spa that flows with the landscape, using natural materials and transparent architecture to blur boundaries, fostering a profound, immersive experience of calm, reflection, and harmony with the environment.
Project Duration: The project started in February 2025 and finished in June 2025
Operation Flow: The spa functions through immersive spatial design: guests move through curated areas—pool, sauna, jacuzzi, Turkish bath—experiencing gentle sensory transitions. Interaction arises from visual and tactile engagement with natural materials, light, and water. Key moments occur at floor-to-ceiling glazing, pool edges, and steam-filled interiors. By harmonizing with nature, it deepens relaxation, enhances well-being, and fosters a seamless, restorative human-nature connection.
Team Members: Zehua Zhang