Regeneration retreat

The project is a hidden sanctuary for tired, stressed minds and bodies. Situated on a clifftop overlooking the vast sea, the building itself is invisible and irrelevant. Architecture is virtually non-existent, yet subtly present. The goal was to create a variety of atmospheres through changes in height, light, dimension and focus.

I decided to design a building that shifts the focus from itself into the surrounding landscape, thus directing the users to explore the untouched site. At the same time, the building provides intimate introvert spaces that focus only at the sky above, which enables the user to have a place of inner-focus, encouraging meditation and self-reflection. The retreat itself consists of three underground parts, all of which have 'reaction' visible on the surface. First comes the entrance area, marked with the entrance tube and the truncated pyramid containing a restaurant with an educational kitchen, an amphitheater and a viewpoint at the top. These are the social, common areas where socialising is encouraged. Next is the residential area of the guests characterised by long, narrow catacomb-like hallways lit only by thin stripes of windows, which encourages quiet behaviour and lower talking voice and prepares the guest for the tranquility and introversion of their room. The room itself is modest, but each one has a personal zen-garden for meditation and self-reflection. The third part is the wellness, spa, yoga and holistic medicine area, which consists of several pools, baths and group therapy halls, all housed under a shallow perforated concrete dome that allows rays of light to come through and create an unique indoor-outdoor ambiance. Nevertheless, the most important part of the building remains the site itself. The roof of the building is in fact a clifftop overlooking the Adriatic sea- which makes it the most desirable place to be in this resort. For this reason, I decided to NOT build a (visible) building in this location, but instead to leave it as it is.