Piscina Barcelona reveals new wellness and spa architecture awards
The Piscina & Wellness Barcelona trade fair has added new spa and wellness architecture prizes to its industry awards.
The biannual event – which is dedicated to the residential and public swimming pool and wellness sectors – will this year reward architects and designers for the first time. New prize categories will recognise “the most outstanding facilities specialising in the therapeutic use of water" and celebrate student designers who have developed the most creative, sustainable and original aquatic projects.
A spokesperson for Piscina said: “The Wellness Spa Experience Awards are intended to recognise the value of aquatic facilities related to health and wellbeing, a sector that is emerging as one of the fastest-growing drivers of tourism.
“The jury will select the spa, thalassotherapy centre or wellness centre that demonstrates its excellence in several different parameters, including the structure and functionality of the facility through to water quality and treatment services."
The entrants to the student architecture competition will need to submit a project for an aquatic centre which could be a public swimming pool, a sports pool, a recreational pool or a treatment pool, the choice being up to the entrants.
Architect Santiago González, a specialist in aquatic facilities and the coordinator of the event, said: “We seek to find new contributions to the philosophy of spaces dedicated to enjoying the aquatic environment, and our hope is that participants will express new perspectives of understanding the relationship between humans, architecture and water.
“It will be important that students give some serious thought to the value of this resource for people's health and the environment. In this respect, it will be fundamental to include the concept of sustainability in their architectural projects.”
Organised by Fira de Barcelona in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Pool Sector Professionals (ASOFAP), Piscina & Wellness Barcelona this year expects to welcome more than 12,000 trade visitors from 70 different countries.
The event will be held between 17 and 20 October at the Gran Via Exhibition Centre in Barcelona.
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