Chungju is aiming to revitalize the Suanbo Special Tourism Zone by developing the Suanbo Plantium. The natural hot spring water in Suanbo has a history of unique quality, closeness to nature and mountains, and royal visits. Therefore, the goal of the design is to build a special spa hotel utilizing Suanbo's natural resources, making it an attractive place for local, Korean and international visitors. In addition, Suanbo Plantium will accommodate not only hot spring facilities, but also programs such as an eating botanical garden, vegetable cafe and restaurant that are accessible to the public, and will serve as a public base for the region.
Site Analysis
The Suanbo Plantium site is a site extending long in the east-west (northwest-southeast) direction along Suanbo-ro. It is close to Suanbo city center and has a creek on the south side, and vehicle access is made to the west side of the site according to the competition guidelines. Scenically, the city center on the south side and the hotel group on the southeast side are not visually outstanding. However, the distant view beyond it reveals a beautiful mountain range, and in the case of the north side, it has good natural scenery.
The design proposal aims to merge the building with the surrounding natural environment. In other words, it is a very tight connection between the inside and the outside. Therefore, the building was expanded in the form of a slender wing on the site to form an ensemble with the surrounding trees and courtyards to create a serene defect. This is a method that responds to the surrounding landscape conditions by forming a low-rise part surrounded by forest, and in the case of a high-rise part, it is a stair-type building so that it becomes a building that harmonizes with the surrounding natural landscape.
The program analysis
Space program consists of four parts. 1. Smart farm facility/botanical garden with visitor center that introduces smart farm technology to the public and provides consumption of on-site grown plants 2. Shop, vegetable cafe and vegetable restaurant 3. Wellness spa with indoor and outdoor spa, healing care A health center that offers 4. Spa hotel accommodations.
The program composition of the design proposal follows the competition guidelines, but the vertical zoning of the wellness spa has been changed. Accessibility and publicity were secured by changing from the top floor location suggested in the guidelines to the second floor. We also created a wellness spa on the lower level, surrounded by trees planted in close proximity. Programmatically, the wellness spa was located on the second floor so that it could be linked with the botanical garden and health center on the lower floor. At the same time, the lodging facilities located on the upper floors ensure vertical privacy and have an independent spa space with a panoramic view.
Concept
This design proposal aims to blur the boundaries between the inside and the outside, providing a hot spring experience that makes you feel as if you are outside, in the forest. To this end, the building is integrated with the landscape as a boundary rather than an independent object on the site, and communicates with the yard and nature. The narrow volume minimizes the distance from the outside and at the same time maximizes the contact surface at any location inside, while the exterior of the building also unobtrusively merges with the surrounding environment. These two functions naturally create multi-layered voids and provide a serene and peaceful environment for people to relax and recharge. These will be a special forum for communication that exists in the natural hot spring Suanbo.
Design Strategy
The uniqueness of a spa hotel is that it is in an environment that is like being in an open-air hot spring in the woods. To create such an environment, the depth of the building is minimized so that the building extends from the wing in all directions, maximizing the contact between the inside and the outside. Also in this way, buildings and parks create several courtyards and open to entrances on all sides. The building also appears to merge with its immediate surroundings, blurring the distinction between interior and exterior with its slender building volume and façade covered with random vertical louvers. The experience of being in the spa building, as if in the woods, will offer peace and serenity as the building itself unobtrusively merges with its surroundings.