An Engaging Exploration – Wellness Centre by Esoteriko
Capturing the essence of a uniquely Australian experience, Wellness Centre engages with all the senses, as it encourages an interaction with each its immersive spaces. Esoteriko explores the concepts underpinning a healthy human condition and plays with textural difference, sound, scent and light in the creation of a sanctuary retreat space, amongst its inner-urban siting.
Located in an existing industrial building in Sydney’s Double Bay, Wellness Centre is both an embrace of its location and an expression of the human experience. Through an interplay of colour, light variation and temperature, visitors are taken on a sense-engaging journey through the spaces, enlivening and connecting to a sense of place in the process. With references to the unique Australian vernacular, the use of a particular tonal palette, incorporating gum trees and other natural elements, with the notion of a verandah to the rear, all offer a connection to the familiar. Taking references from the industrial shed-type structure it sits within, the experience of the space is heightened through cues that engage the senses. Esoteriko has created a multi-functional series of spaces that capture the Australian spirit.
Built by Alliance Project Services, Wellness Centre is founded on principles of simplicity and refinement. As a place of restoration and recharge, the intent sees an immersion for the visitor, transporting them in the process. The 200sqm structure features a series of interior interventions that cater to a multitude of programs, within the one silhouette – ice baths, saunas, a gym and a juice bar. By opening up above through translucent panels, natural light floods the spaces, both warming and illuminating the interior in the process, while characteristic Australian scents of cedar and eucalyptus fill the air. Sited in a back laneway in Double Bay, the encounter with the offering on entry is intended as being both unexpected and welcoming.
Polished concrete flooring establishes the base underfoot, while the palette is emphasised by texture, subtleties and contrast. Elements that connect to the industrial vernacular are clear and reinforced through a sharp and modern interpretation, while timber is used to add warmth and connect to the natural. Pink hues further warm the space and offer a sense of clarity and connect to a wellness focus. Stainless steel joinery and partitions add a series of refined and crafted support sculptures that aim to delineate the spaces and nudge movement through, which is then contrasted against the white hand-cut tiles used throughout.
Wellness Centre extends the initial industrial narrative of the space emphasising the handmade through a series of more tactile elements. Esoteriko has inserted gestures that soften and penetrate the overall and offered a transformative and rejuvenating experience as a result.
