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.

“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.

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.

Program:
Acquapark
Location:
Debrecen, Hungary
Architects:
BORD Architectural Studio
Team architect:
Péter Bordás
Coordinating Architect:
Dalma Kiss
Architect team:
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
Structural Engineering:
Hydrastat Mérnöki Iroda - Zsigmond Dezső
Visual Design:
Homologue - Zoltán Ölbey
Mock-up:
Limes Model - Géza Csizmazia
Glass design:
Zsófia Szőnyegi
Graphic Design of glass surfaces:
Rotblau Labor
Construction:
Hunép Ltd.
Garden and Landscape Architecture:
Gardenworks - Judit Doma-Tarcsányi, Andre Waldmann, Beatrix Bőcs
Mechanical Engineering:
BORD Architectural Studio - Zoltán Hollókövi

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