“A hidden oasis locked up in a box deep within the woods”. This is how the Hungarian architectural studio BORD, first prize winner in the competition for redevelopment of the old spa in the city of Debrecen, describes the project for the Aquaticum Waterpark. Built inside a protected natural area alongside the existing spa buildings dating back to the 1930s, the aquapark takes the form of a box intersected by transverse walls of exposed concrete surrounded by water and vegetation.
In Hungary a 1930s thermal bath upgrades into a contemplative water park
BORD Architectural Studio redesigns in Debrecen, Hungary, the very concept of the water park architecture abandoning the adrenalinic stereotypes of recent decades to encourage contemplative immersion in nature.
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
photo Tamas Bujnovszky
Drawing Bord Architectural Studio
Drawing Bord Architectural Studio
Drawing Bord Architectural Studio
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- Giulia Zappa
- 01 October 2020
- Debrecen, Ungheria
- BORD Architectural Studio
- 5,624 sqm of water surfaces
- Waterpark
- 2020
The experience of water is designed to favour a fusional contact with nature. In the outdoor pools, the level of the edge is in continuity with the lawn and vegetation, giving an immersive experience in the greenery. On the vertical walls, on the other hand, the cascade flow is designed to favour "the impression of an endless horizon of water". On the roof equipped with sunshades and loungers for relaxation, the gaze is lost in the forest.
And yet, despite the architects' desire to integrate the construction into the surrounding ecosystem, the complex's most artificial parts show their most intriguing characther. In the indoor spa, the apricot mosaic pools are electrified by the presence of neon tubes which draw a rhythmic geometry on the ceiling. On the glass facade, then, two enigmatic triangular doors give access to two trampolines, whose vertigo thrills seem to blend in the reflections of the water on the wall’s imprinted motif.
- Acquapark
- Debrecen, Hungary
- BORD Architectural Studio
- Péter Bordás
- Dalma Kiss
- Zsolt Belanyi, Robert Gulyas, Noemi Gyarfas, Dorottya Hindy, Anna Illes, Artur Lente, Linda Lente-Papp, Tamas Mezey, Balazs Moser, Gyorgyi Puspoki, Viola Tóth, Istvan Ulmann, Reka Zsolyomi, Kata Zih Garden and Landscape Architecture: Gardenworks - Judit Doma-Tarcsányi, Andre Waldmann, Beatrix Bőcs Mechanical Engineering: BORD Architectural Studio - Zoltán Hollókövi
- Hydrastat Mérnöki Iroda - Zsigmond Dezső
- Homologue - Zoltán Ölbey
- Limes Model - Géza Csizmazia
- Zsófia Szőnyegi
- Rotblau Labor
- Hunép Ltd.
- Gardenworks - Judit Doma-Tarcsányi, Andre Waldmann, Beatrix Bőcs
- BORD Architectural Studio - Zoltán Hollókövi
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio
a project by BORD Architectural Studio