In Seclusion Iṣẹ́ Pàtàkì: Ibi Ìtọ́jú Ara Ẹ̀bá Odò by Zehua Zhang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Idẹ A' Design Award in Àpẹẹrẹ Ìkọ́lé, Ilé àti Ètò Competition Category.
IdẹÌkọ́lé· 2026
In Seclusion Iṣẹ́ Pàtàkì: Ibi Ìtọ́jú Ara Ẹ̀bá Odò
by Zehua Zhang
Client: Zehua Zhang
Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Idẹ A' Design Award Winner in Ìkọ́lé Category
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The Design
About In Seclusion Iṣẹ́ Pàtàkì: Ibi Ìtọ́jú Ara Ẹ̀bá Odò
Ọ̀rọ̀ Ìwé: Iṣẹ́ yìí jẹ́ ibi ìtọ́jú ara kan ní ẹ̀bá odò ní orílẹ̀-èdè Portugal. Wọ́n gbé ìṣẹ̀dá náà kalẹ̀ nínú àyíká àdánidá tó wà tẹ́lẹ̀, ó sì ń lo àwọn òdiwọ̀n ilé tí ó ṣàn rọra láti dín ipa wíwo kù. Wọ́n fi àwọn agbègbè ńlá tí a fi gílàsì ṣe sí i láti gba àwọn ìwòye láàrín àwọn àyè inú ilé àti àyíká tó yí i ká. Wọ́n lo àwọn ìparí igi àti ilẹ̀ tí a fi òkúta tẹ́ jákèjádò inú ilé. Ètò náà ní inú rẹ̀: sauna, jacuzzi, àti ìwẹ̀ ará Turkey, tí a ṣètò láti dá ọ̀wọ́ àwọn àyè ìwẹ̀ sílẹ̀. Ìṣètò náà ṣe àkójọpọ̀ àwọn iṣẹ́ wọ̀nyí ní ìbámu pẹ̀lú odò àti ilẹ̀ tó yí i ká.
The Recognition
About the Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Idẹ A' Design Award
In Seclusion Iṣẹ́ Pàtàkì: Ibi Ìtọ́jú Ara Ẹ̀bá Odò jẹ́ olùborí Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Idẹ A' Design Award, ìdánimọ̀ olókìkí gan-an tí a fún àwọn àwòṣe tó tayọ tí wọ́n yàtọ̀ nípasẹ̀ ìṣẹ̀dá, àrékérekè àti ọgbọ́n inú. Àwọn olùborí Idẹ jẹ́ àwọn ohun èlò tó ní ìjáfáfá gan-an tí wọ́n sì ní ìṣẹ̀dá tó yani lẹ́nu tí wọ́n ń ṣe ẹ̀rí ìrírí gbígbòòrò, ìrònú àti ọgbọ́n àwọn olùṣàwòṣe wọn. A retí pé In Seclusion Iṣẹ́ Pàtàkì: Ibi Ìtọ́jú Ara Ẹ̀bá Odò yóò jẹ́ ohun tí a kà sí gidigidi, tí a gbóríyìn fún tí a sì nífẹ̀ẹ́, tó jẹ́ ti ọ̀jáfáfá lọ́nà tó ṣe pàtàkì tó sì ní ìmúṣẹ̀dá tuntun. Àwòṣe tó borí Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Idẹ A' Design Award yìí ń kó àwọn ọ̀nà tó dára jùlọ nínú iṣẹ́ ọnà, sáyẹ́ǹsì, àwòṣe àti ìmọ̀-ẹ̀rọ jọ, ó sì tayọ nítorí àfiyèsí rẹ̀ sí àwọn àlàyé kékeré. In Seclusion Iṣẹ́ Pàtàkì: Ibi Ìtọ́jú Ara Ẹ̀bá Odò ń tẹ́ àwọn ohun tí a nílò lọ́rùn lọ́nà àgbàyanu, ó ń fọwọ́ kan àwọn ìfẹ́ inú, ó ń gbà ọkàn ó sì ń fa ìfẹ́ láti mọ̀ mọ́ra.
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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