The Badehaus
New 2024! Bio sauna with infrared heaters
This ambitious project brought a spa with swimming pool to complement the unique Seehotel Ambach ensemble. To extend the facilities of this inspirational 1970s hotel, a contemporary recreational landscape has been added at the lake shore. For the Ambach-Maran family, the guiding principle has been to create a continuum with Barth’s original hotel and garden architecture.
Living architecture, Emerging from the Landscape
In the same way that Barth responded to the themes in the landscape, today the existing relationship between nature and hotel is explored. The Badehaus mediates this between space. It follows the gently undulating lake shore, reflecting the surface of Lake Caldaro. In doing so, it accentuates the biotope park in the most artistic manner.
The Shadow Building Philosophy
Seehotel Ambach is celebrated for its singularity. As such, the temptation to merely duplicate the hotel in microcosm has been resisted. Instead, Barth’s conceptual purism is further developed, in the European tradition of the garden pavilion. Unpretentiously single-storied, as if on stilts, the Badehaus appears to swim in the biotope, giving the illusion of a boat reaching the lake shore.
The 250m sq. spa with loggia unfolds to the rear of the park, extending to the scattered orchard. Its three wings reach in three directions: the hotel, the lake and the Mendel Pass. For construction materials, apart from the transparent glass facades, a more transient equivalent of the concrete from the hotel building is used: wood. This is a very personal tribute Barth, a carpenter’s son. Great care has been taken in selecting the wood, which has been finely sanded and oiled; to resemble the finished timber used in shipbuilding. The dark tones of the Badehaus contrast the Seehotel’s limpid whiteness. As the project architect Walter Angonese explains, «In this way, the Badehaus is also in indirect dialogue with Barth's edifice, appearing as the hotel's shadow.»
The Formal Language of the Architect Walter Angonese
Born in 1961, Walter Angonese is a native of Kaltern who works between his studios in South Tyrol and Switzerland. In Switzerland, he holds a teaching position as Professor of Design at the Academy of Architecture, Mendrisio (Ticino). Angonese’s leitmotif is bold constructions, imbued with 21st century comfort, in which the formal architectural language harmonises with the materials chosen and the environments they inhabit.
The New Spa/Waterscape
The Finnish sauna symbolizes the Nordic health culture, while the bio sauna is a gentler an less intensive alternative. In between, there is the patio with whirlpool and the Rain Room in place of traditional showers. This not only commands the location, but it also opens up diverse sensory dimensions. Paying homage to the Mediterranean loggia, the covered terrace extends far into the park, where the generously-shaded areas intersperse the sunny meadow. Embedded in the garden is the heated swimming pool, which connects all the elements with the hotel building. At 20m long, it is elegantly sufficient for the most athletic and an enticing alternative to diving into the lake.
Day Stay at Seehotel Ambach
A short break to regenerate? In 2019 we introduced the Seehotel Ambach day stay. External guests can also book a Day Stay in advance and take advantage of our private sunbathing lawn with bathhouse, pool and lake.
The package costs €58 per person and includes the following:
- Private beach with spacious sun lawn
- Private bathing jetties
- Badehaus with whirlpool, Finnish sauna (90°) and Bio sauna (65°) with infrared heaters
- Heated 20 meter outdoor pool
- Bathing bag with towels and bathrobes
- SUPs, pedal boats, rowing boat, kayaks free of charge
- Outdoor fitness equipment
Breakfast on the lakeside terrace & Day Stay:
At the reduced price of €84 you can also take advantage of this combination offer.
Limited offer.
