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Some Like It Hot
Blue Lagoon Spa and ClinicDate: 1998-2007
Architect: Basalt ArkitektarClient: Blue Lagoon Ltd
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While there is a long tradition in Iceland of bathing in the geothermally heated water – with records of hot pools back dating from the thirteenth century – this project is the one that joined up the dots in terms of reinventing this experience for the twenty-first century. It combines the uniqueness of sitting in steaming water in the open air and all weathers, surrounded by an extraterrestrial-looking lava landscape, with full spa, wellness clinic and hospitality facilities – intensifying further the extreme nature/nurture juxtaposition.
Natural as it looks, the lagoon here is in fact completely manmade and its piping hot water, drawn up from 200 metres below ground, is the byproduct of a nearby geothermal power plant. The spa, designed by Sigríður Sigþórsdóttir of VA Architecture, was opened in 1998. Its 5,000 cubic metre lagoon is cradled in a rugged lava field, which also cleverly utilises the natural bowl formation of the landscape, protecting bathers from the sometimes bitter winds, whilst its water – an ethereal, milky blue from the combination of minerals it contains – renews itself every 40 hours.
Previous page: image courtesy Blue Lagoon Ltd. This page: photos courtesy Basalt Arkitektar.
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Basalt arkitektar is an architecture office established in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2009, committed to the “artistic and poetic dimension of architecture” in their work, with sustainability as an important keystone of their design philosophy. Their work includes projects in the past, such as the different phases of the Blue Lagoon Spa and Hofsós swimming pool, each nominated for a Mies van der Rohe Award, in 2000 and 2010 respectively.
The lava wall which edges the lagoon is incorporated into the design of the spa’s buildings as well, flowing around and through it. The onsite clinic, which opened in 2005, is more orthogonal in shape, with its public rooms lifted above the service areas to maximise light. But with many of its surfaces faced in slices of natural lava, it still continues the idea of the manmade in balance with nature in its interiors.
Conveniently situated midway between Rekjavík and Keflavík International Airport, the Blue Lagoon has quickly become one of the top tourist destinations in the country, with many visitors dropping in less for a relaxing spa session than a quick in/out, selfie-recorded dip before flying out of the country.
However, plans are afoot to slow things down a bit and expand the Blue Lagoon’s offer to make it more of a holiday destination in its own right. The lagoon is due to be increased in size by a half from January 2016, and a new 60-room hotel meeting and conference room, and roof-top restaurant designed by Sigþórsdóttir, now at Basalt Architecture, is due to open in 2017. p (rgw)
Photo courtesy Basalt Arkitektar.
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