SPA CENTRE
KOREA, TAEKWONDO PARK, 2008

Competition KOREA, TAEKWONDO PARK
By MEROestudio (Paula Montoya & Iñigo Redondo) Collaborators: Luis de Prada, Miguel Beloki
Client:KOREAN GOVERNMENT
Budget: 21.000.000€ Size: 8.000m2

El objeto de este concurso es un Balneario y centro Spa  dentro del gran Parque tematico del Taekwondo (que comprende 12 grandes edificios y gran complejo residencial)  en una zona natural de Corea.  La propuesta, dada la enorme cantidad de agua que consume, incorpora una planta de reciclaje de aguas pluviales y grises para ser tratadas previas a su utilizacion en las instalaciones acuaticas del Spa.El edificio esta concebido como una discontinuidad en el paisaje, siendo un elemento plano, contundente, que se encaja en un valle fluvial, salvando el ancho del mismo apoyandose en ambos margenes.Dado que la recogida de aguas se produce por la parte superior, la planta de tratamientos esta organizada de tal modo que la parte superior del edificio esta destinada al reciclaje que por gravedad se va hacienda descender hasta los tanques de agua regenerada que dan servicio a las dependencias el Spa. Toda la parte media e inferior del edificio se destina al Balneario-hotel con unas vistas privilegiadas. El edificio se construye por la suma de capas en paralelo y es registro permanente de las condiciones termodinamicas tanto internas como externas. La fachada norte se convierte en la cara de condensacion del edificio mientras que la expuesta es la cara del edificio que evapora. La estrechez de crujia del edificio propicia la ventilacion cruzada y el optimo control higrotermico del interior.

 

The program of this competition is a Spa Centre within a Masterplan for a Taekwondo theme park that comprises another 12 major buildings) in a vast area in the Korean countryside. The proposal, given the considerable water needed, recycles the existing water in the site (from upper buildings and rain collection) regenerating it prior to use.  The spa itself is conceived as a discontinuity in the  lanscape using the deep valley of a river to locate a structure that spans from one bank to the other providing a transparent flat element that vanish into the dense vegetation. The building that holds the spa facilities, is a multilayered element and an active register and reactor to climate at all moments of the day. A water reservoir oriented to make use of the prevailing winds; it works as a natural measurer of temperature, that is used to arrange the program within. The north side is a composite of several layers confined and prepared to become the condensation surface. Always the cold side of the building, generates a difference of pressure with the opposed side that becomes the evaporation face. The south façade is the addition of several layers of canvases of lattices capable of solar and wind control.  The overall narrow depth of the building allows crossed ventilation enhanced by the vertical gardens that refresh the inner chambers.The structure consists in two massive façade elements, bound together with a laminar internal structure that sews together both sides.      As the water supply comes from above, the upper part of the building is dedicated to the recycling plant that lead the water downwards through a series of filters. Structurally the water tanks give strength and rigidity to the whole piece. The lower part arches away diverting the load to the extremes where the building meets the ground.