We all need a spa day every once in a while. The latest and greatest design by WORKSBUREAU and super inventor Chuck Hoberman will definitely hit the spot. The team has created a pair of spas in the middle of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia called the KAFD Portal Spas. One building is just for men, the other for women. Both feature beautiful meadows and gardens to stroll through between service rooms, lit mainly by a stunning three-story atrium. However, the real beauty of these incredible buildings is on the outside. Hoberman has invented an ingenious system along each of the buildings’ angular facades that allows just the right amount of blistering Arabian sun inside. Read more!

Hoberman has created tessellate panels to outfit the shell of the building. This new technology consists of four layers of titanium, two of which can move by the power of tiny motors. The overlapping kinetic layers create a kaleidoscope effect, projecting neat shapes and reflections from the sun. The bottom layer is a mesh that acts as a gentle shade that allows only the perfect amount of sunlight into the spas. The perforated outer layers also act to naturally ventilate the steamy spas.

Images: courtesy of WORKSBUREAU

[via fastcodesign]

by Molly Cotter

posted in Uncategorized

tagged Chuck Hoberman, saudi arabia, Spas, Worksbureau

more articles by Molly Cotter