In Seclusion 리버사이드 스파 by Zehua Zhang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 동상 in 건축, 건물 및 구조물 디자인 Competition Category.
동건축· 2026
In Seclusion 리버사이드 스파
by Zehua Zhang
Client: Zehua Zhang
A' Design Award 동상 Winner in 건축 Category
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The Design
About In Seclusion 리버사이드 스파
이 프로젝트는 포르투갈에 위치한 강변 스파입니다. 디자인은 기존의 자연 경관 속에 자리하며, 유려한 건축 볼륨을 활용하여 시각적 영향을 최소화합니다. 넓은 유리 면을 도입하여 실내 공간과 주변 환경 사이의 조망이 가능하도록 했습니다. 목재 마감과 석재 바닥재가 실내 전반에 적용되었습니다. 프로그램에는 사우나, 자쿠지, 터키식 목욕탕이 포함되어 일련의 목욕 공간 시퀀스를 이루도록 배치되었습니다. 이러한 기능들은 강과 주변 지형과의 관계 속에서 구성되었습니다.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 동상
In Seclusion 리버사이드 스파, 이 작품은 A' Design Award 동상 수상작으로, 창의성, 독창성, 영민함으로 돋보이는 뛰어난 디자인에 수여되는 높은 권위의 인정입니다. 동상 수상작은 충분히 숙련되고 인상적으로 창의적인 작품으로, 디자이너의 폭넓은 경험, 상상력, 기지를 입증합니다. In Seclusion 리버사이드 스파, 이 작품은 높이 평가받고 감탄과 사랑을 받는 사물로서 두드러지게 전문적이고 혁신적일 것으로 기대됩니다. 이 동상 수상 디자인은 예술, 과학, 디자인, 기술의 모범 사례를 담고 있으며 세부에 대한 주의로 훌륭합니다. In Seclusion 리버사이드 스파, 이 작품은 필요를 훌륭하게 충족하고 욕망에 닿으며 감정을 매료하고 호기심을 불러일으킵니다.
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
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