Defying gravity: An “upside down” spa floats in the air at a hotel in Italy and transmits feelings of vertigo and emptiness

Hubertus Hotel – Overlooking Valdora town to the north Italy– Where the experience of well-being actually exists Always floating in the air. The tourist complex has a spa department and has an architectural stamp Nova NetworkIt looks like a floating building upside down.

Lukas Runger, the project’s main architect and co-founder of Nova, says the essence of the work. Breaking boundaries. “Spa visitors enjoy an ever-changing variety of views in the wellness areas, where their perspectives are constantly changing even as they lie down. Sauna, sitting in a resting place or floating in a pool”. Officially known as the Hub of Huts. The project was completed last June.

“Vertiginous and suspended in an alpine voidthe aim was to rethink the experience of observing the landscape,” explains the architect. The facade of the spa is mirrored in an infinity pool designed by Nova, and is suspended 15 meters above ground level. The entire platform floats in the air and extends for about 20 meters.

A walkway suspended in the air connects to a newly constructed glass-enclosed relaxation area that can accommodate up to 27 people. On stage, individual cable roof structures provide wellness facilities. Everything seems to defy logic there. An experience that sometimes seems like a dream or fantasy.

Its visual highlight is, of course, the inverted gable roofs, which extend downward from the lower level of the stage, giving the appearance of a 180-degree rotation to the horizon. The surprising result is reminiscent of an Escher print, where the dreamlike structure follows a game of perspective inversion and engineering stunts.

A place where the senses lose meaning

“The lower level of the platform creates a certain sense of displacement. As you descend, the temperature increases and protects the environment more. It feels like descending to the center of the earth with everything turned upside down,” says Gottfried Gruber, the architect who oversaw the project.

is on the top floor Two jacuzzis, two panoramic showers and a changing room, exposed to the open air. The ground floor is a non-clothing area, and the central inner area is the lobby. Facilities are also available A gentle sauna, a Finnish sauna, a walk-in shower, a cold steam shower and a third outdoor pool.Spa goers can take in the entire surrounding landscape.

The spa’s colors and materials were inspired by its location. Aluminum panels in natural brown tones cover the individual rooms, shutters protect the windows and hide the thickness of the stage, and the floors are covered with light brown ceramic tiles. In the lounge, the floor is oily white oak. The final product is an example of both Gravity defying architecture A testament to what designers can create when they think in terms of the natural environment.

Nation