Forms inspired by water

The village of Vrdnik, located about seventy kilometres from Belgrade and 24 km from Novi Sad in northern Serbia, enjoys a splendid location amongst vineyards on the edge of a national park on the southern slopes of the mountain Fruška Gora. Although small, the village boasts a long history and a number of important monuments, including a Roman tower built under the rule of emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus in around 287 AD. During the nineteenth century it was the chosen place of residence of the famous Serbian poet Milica Stojadinović-Srpkinja, who lived and worked here for many years.
Today, however, Vrdnik is best known as a thermal spa resort. Due to the beneficial properties of the spring water that emerges from the ground at a temperature of just over 32°C, as well as the unique local microclimate and healthy, ozone-rich air, the town is a popular place for restoring the body and the mind and attracts visitors from all over Europe.
In this context, the practice Alexander Bauer – Architecture & Urbanism Laboratory was commissioned to design a large hotel complex called Hotel Premier Aqua. The hotel offers accommodation to the highest international standards, combining five-star services with a wide range of facilities including indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, a spa, a medical centre and a wellness centre.
The various functions of the building are incorporated into a complex that is at once homogeneous and intricate, while the volume is divided up in such a way as to create an original yet clearly intelligible hierarchy.
The interior and exterior spaces blend seamlessly in an architectural project that aims to provide accommodation to the highest levels of comfort. With this in mind, porcelain floor and wall tiles from Ceramiche Keope were chosen for the main areas of the complex, including the swimming pool areas, the spa and wellness centre, the medical centre, the meeting rooms and the café.
In marked contrast to the privacy of the rooms and suites, all of which feature large balconies looking out over the landscape, the large glazed surfaces lend a high degree of transparency to the common areas, the conference and meeting rooms, and the indoor and outdoor thermal baths. The result is a kind of crystal velarium that offers outstanding views of the surrounding natural landscape and mountains.