Introduction: More Than a Building
Every project begins with a question. For the forgotten spa in Náchod-Běloves, the question was not simply “How do we design a new building?” but something far more fundamental: How do you design a project that heals not just people, but an entire post-industrial city?
This is the journal of that process—a transparent, real-time log of a mission to transform a site of decay into a catalyst for urban revitalization. Our goal is not just to create a piece of architecture, but to design a strategic intervention, a piece of urban acupuncture that sends healing ripples through the entire town. This first entry documents the search for its core idea.
The Breakthrough: A Vision of Urban Acupuncture
The first step was to resist the urge to draw. Instead, we dove into the city’s DNA, exploring the contrasts that define it: a fortress and a gateway; a history of industry and a future of well-being; a hidden treasure of healing water beneath a town in need of a new identity.
From this emerged our breakthrough. We realized the project’s primary role was not to be an isolated destination, but a strategic urban catalyst. This led to our guiding vision: A SPA AS URBAN ACUPUNCTURE. The new centre would be a precise, targeted impulse designed to stimulate and regenerate the city’s economic, social, and cultural vitality.
Defining the Tool: A New Archetype for Health
An ambitious vision requires a powerful tool. A traditional spa or a simple wellness hotel would not be enough. The challenges of the 21st century—chronic lifestyle diseases, rising stress, an aging population—demand a new, more resilient model.
Through research into national health trends, we defined a new hybrid archetype: The Integrated Health & Prevention Centre. It stands on three essential pillars, creating a synergistic ecosystem of care:
- Advanced Medical Rehabilitation: The core, leveraging the site’s unique healing water and building on a tradition of cardiac care.
- Proactive Prevention & Diagnostics: A high-tech hub focused on preventing illness before it occurs, using modern technology to empower guests.
- Holistic Mental Well-being: A premium retreat focused on stress management, digital detox, and mental resilience.
From Strategy to Space: Extracting the Hidden Treasure
But a vision is not a building. The next step was to translate this strategic thinking into a physical, spatial concept. If the spa is to be an act of healing the city by revealing its hidden potential, then the architecture must do the same.
This led to our core spatial concept: EXTRACTING THE HIDDEN TREASURE. The architecture symbolically pulls the healing mineral water from deep within the earth to the surface. The entire project is organized along a vertical journey through three “geological” layers:
- THE SOURCE: At the base, connected to the earth. A sacred, quiet zone for core water-based treatments.
- THE GROUND: The porous, public interface. A transparent level where the spa meets the city, hosting lobbies, cafés, and public plazas.
- THE HORIZON: The light, airy crown. A tranquil zone for accommodation and relaxation, offering panoramic views back over the city it is helping to heal.
Conclusion: Our Project Constitution
These four ideas—the Vision, the Archetype, and the Spatial Concept, all bound by a Strategy of Phased Development—are not separate concepts. They form a single, interconnected framework. This is our Project Constitution, a set of guiding principles against which every future decision, from the masterplan to the door handle, will be measured.
What’s Next?
The conceptual framework is set. The story has its foundation. But an idea, no matter how powerful, must be anchored in the hard reality of data. The next phase of our work begins now: a deep dive into the city’s strategic documents, urban plans, and socio-economic data to build the project from a foundation of pure evidence.
Thank you for following the journey.