Press Release. 9 July 2013

Alberto Apostoli designs the new spa of Poiano Resort

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The SPA designed by Alberto Apostoli for the Poiano Resort (Garda Lake – Italy) combines two needs: the development of a location particularly attractive and the request of a contemporary design.
The lake is the natural background of this center located in the hills of the town of Garda, among olive trees and lush vegetation, upstream of a valley a few tens of meters above the water level. The project speaks the language of a territory absolutely extraordinary and unique, and simultaneously solves spaces, finishes and atmospheres through a wise creativity, as a result of the architect’s leadership in the wellness industry. A place rich in views, in continuous dialogue with the outside world and with some scenarios drawn from the dualistic axiom: wellness / nature, to which Apostoli always makes continual reference. In this regard, Apostoli says: “in this project, the territory becomes a fundamental element and, as in all my projects, it becomes part of the style, the design and the expressive language. Wellness is a total experience and we cannot, in any way, emancipate it from the location. Shapes, paths, colors and atmosphere all had to go along and crown the receptive activity of the structure. ” The entrance consists of a curved space enhanced by a local stone wall (placed, with a traditional local technique, by specialized masters) in which windows of different sizes filter the view to the pool area. The semi-circular infinity pool (salt water) is covered with the same material of the floors of the center and it visually lies outside. The space takes on a different atmosphere during the day thanks to the natural light that filters through four large windows on the garden and on the lake, while at night the pool is lit internally with different colors.
The spa area is a set of suggestions and atmospheres generated by an integrated use of different materials, coordinated in a refined way. In this area, a double glazed sauna (bio and Finnish sauna) is internally divided by a wall, also in glass, emphasizing its total size while, at the front of it, there are four showers separated by glass walls. The saunas are lit by lamps under-bench that create a spectacular lighting effect on the inner walls which, in part, is reflected on the outside.
The steam bath is the continuation of the stone wall behind the shower and is made with a specially treated surface finished with wax. A slender bench made in ceramic and a central fountain from which flow water and steam, complete this place.
The relaxation area was conceived as a space of total psycho-physical decompression and it has therefore an essential and minimal (almost monastic) style. The only suggestion is constituted by a wall in stone illuminated from above.
In The beauty area, the treatments rooms are all different from each other; they have warm colors and soft lighting. Room doors and walls themselves were treated with a textured which contributes significantly to the characterization of this space. The cabins are typologically different from each other and they were designed in cooperation with the spa manager in order to optimize the treatment menu.