Many of the brutalist forms of architecture constructed under the watchful eyes of the Soviet regime in the latter half of the twentieth century sit unused or abandoned throughout various eastern European cities. The ‘Danube Flower,’ a Belgrade landmark sited along the river’s foreshore was no exception. Originally opened as a restaurant in the 1970s, the triangular structure built 15 metres above the river sat empty for fifteen years after the fall of Communism and during the civil war in what was then Yugoslavia and now is Serbia.
The Belgrade design studio, 4of7 partnered with London-based Superfusionlab to adaptively reuse the space as a high-end gym and spa in city’s centre. From the ground-level pedestrian esplanade, visitors enter the Wellness Sky through the central core, the sole support for the entire structure, which contains two lift shafts and a double spiral staircase.
Once inside the facilities, its namesake genuinely takes meaning. Fitness gurus and gym junkies are immediately awash with sweeping city and river views from the uninterrupted ribbon window, which wraps entirely around the building. During the day, light glows through the widows onto the reflective resin floor. The faceted ceiling comprised of backlit semi translucent triangular panels allows visitors to feel as if they are exercising within a cloud. The openness and loftiness of the design of the Wellness Sky allows members to feel nearly weightless in the very environment where burning away the excess is the ultimate achievement. – Andrew J Wiener.
Recent posts
-
June 24, 2022
Can Brut villa, Ibiza, Spain
Can Brut is a family villa on the island of Ibiza located on an 85,000 square-metre cove plot overlooking Spain’s Balearic Sea. The plot overlooks...
-
June 20, 2022
Canyon House, Los Angeles, California, USA
When Rustic Canyon house was completed in May 2018, one of the residence’s redeeming qualities already then was the surrounding nature. As the 4,100 square-foot...
-
June 13, 2022
Beach Café, Busan, South Korea
Known as the Miami of South Korea, Busan is famous for its beaches and mountains. When the design team at Seoul-based Matter Better Interior Design...
-
May 31, 2022
At The Window/Table – Diana Sosnowska
‘Woman Smoking at The Window’ by UK photographer Diana Sosnowska is a carefully staged photographic self-portrait taken in the artist’s former apartment in Edinburgh, Scotland,...
-
May 30, 2022
Prime Seafood Palace, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Toronto-based restaurateur Matty Matheson is known for many things but subtlety is not one of them. He swears, huffs and waves his hands, and his...
-
May 18, 2022
Barn-Inspired Residence, Hudson Valley, New York State, US
Magic can result when architect and client have known each other for two decades and when both are willing to take the time to consider...
-
May 17, 2022
Private Reading Room, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
A vast book collection and a trusting friendship between designers and their client helped turn cramped ground-floor rooms into a sun-filled, tranquil private reading room....
-
April 27, 2022
Casa Aire Mountain Retreat, Medellín, Colombia
“It’s not a place to show off, it’s a place for my soul to rest,” says 37-year-old Colombian reggaeton superstar, José Álvaro Osorio Balvín known...
-
April 26, 2022
Beach House Overhaul, East Hampton, New York, USA
The shingle-clad East Hampton beach house, located on the coveted Further Lane, has an illustrious celebrity-amplified past as do so many in the area. It...
-
April 15, 2022
Canyon House Restoration, Brentwood Park, Los Angeles, California, U.S
In interiors, we are not fans of subdued and prissy nor decorative and antique-filled. When we saw the first images of the Californian Canyon house...
-
April 14, 2022
Weekend Music Playlist 37
-
April 6, 2022
The Library, Showroom For luxury Car Collection, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Owning any kind of car today is questionable. Owning a whole collection of luxury cars even more so. But there is no denying that the...