smartvoll's spa pavilion is a composition of monolithic stone slabs

austria-based studio smartvoll curates its newly completed spa pavilion as an assemblage of monolithic stone slabs. sited in the village of hinterbrühl, the bathhouse seeks to evoke the contemplative atmosphere of a 21st century stone temple, composed of a single material like a sculpture. while the space is expressed entirely in natural rauris quartzite stone, the exterior and interior are integrated into a singular and continuous experience. the design team organizes the structure without distinct walls and roofs, but as a collection of planes in space which seem to project into the air and float beyond each other.

images © dimitar gamizov

smartvoll logically organizes its spa pavilion within a three dimensional grid. the stone slabs suggest a careful placement, rather than a physical assemblage. their complex relationship with one another generates niches and moments of slippage, opening or closing views in all directions as needed. an intimate dialogue is created with the interior and the natural surroundings — the lush greenery might encroach into the built space while the stone is thoughtfully extended outward beyond the heart of the space. while the pavilion is open on all four sides, the very careful alignment of the panels creates absolute privacy.

the design team at smartvoll ensures the flexibility of its spa pavilion across the changing seasons. while the space is open to the elements during the summer, the structure fluidly transforms to adapt to winter conditions. glass panels hidden in the wall and ceiling slide out and over the pavilion. the bathhouse is private, and visitors are invited to freely wander between the jacuzzi, steam bath, sauna, shower, pool, sundeck, and bar in any season and in any state of dress. overall, the architecturally-minded spa pavilion can be interpreted in two ways — the project expresses a modernist language a reduced formal vocabulary to make the functions vividly clear and spatially tangible. at the same time, the space expresses the ‘cult’ of the spa temple and the sacredness attributed to the bathhouse throughout antiquity.