What if the first plan does not work out?
Partanen & Lamusuo led their clients on a research trip toward the Wellness Center of their dreams

The design process of the Wellness Center designed by Partanen & Lamusuo has been an expansive and extraordinary journey of discovery toward its final form. The wellness center will become part of an existing entity and contain several functions. The goal of the project is to supplement the services offered by the customer.

"In the initial situation, the client's idea of ​​the Wellness Center and the functions to be placed there was still seeking its final form, and we are looking for the right direction together with the client. The customer's dreams and needs became clearer during the design process," say Partanen & Lamusuo.

The customer's wish is to offer wellness services to its community and members, tourists, as well as, residents of the locality. Partanen & Lamusuo started the design process on-site by brainstorming together with the client about which functions should be placed in the wellness center.

The starting needs of the wellness center were, among other things, accommodation facilities, meeting facilities, a church hall serving as a multipurpose space, a restaurant offering organic food, a gym, and a spa with a 25-meter-long swimming pool.

An introductory video as an intermediate step in the design process

Partanen & Lamusuo set out to solve the challenge by designing an exceptionally advanced sketch. Based on the sketch, a presentation video was made, so that the customer could familiarize themselves with the possible implementation methods in a visually clear format. The video helped the customer to articulate their wishes for the final functions.

"Each design process is unique. Sometimes the sketch has to be taken far to see the real goal. The first version brightened the customer's dream, so it was easy to continue the design work based on the presentation video. It has been wonderful to make the journey step by step towards the fulfillment of the dream together with the customer", Partanen & Lamusuo say.

The first version was designed in the shape of a cross when viewed from above. The shape communicates spiritual values ​​and embodies the architectural tradition of religious buildings, bringing religiousness into the architecture.

The shape also solved functional challenges: a 25-meter-long swimming pool could be placed in the vertical line of the building. At the same time, the airiness of the building was preserved. The cross-shaped building is in harmony with the surroundings and the rest of the courtyard and does not dominate the landscape.

What will the Wellness Center be like?

The first version of the welfare center will not be realized as such but will act as an intermediate step toward its final form. Based on the presentation video, the design work continued in close cooperation with the customer.

Partanen & Lamusuo work in the design process as both architectural designers and service designers. Long experience in the design of various projects has brought expertise to Partanen & Lamusuo, with the help of which various functions can be formed into a functional whole.

"The client has not had an accommodation business before, so we assisted them with service design and personnel sizing. The site will be developed into a small, personal, and atmospheric tourist destination", describe Partanen & Lamusuo.

And what functions are coming to the final version and what does the Wellness Center look like? Follow Partanen & Lamusuo on Facebook, Instagram and  LinkedIn, and see the final implementation as soon as it is finished!

Spa and church art projects as references

The client chose Partanen & Lamusuo as the designer of the Wellness Center because the artist-architect couple has implemented several unique projects made of natural materials. It was clear to the customer from the beginning that the Wellness Center would be built from logs, which Partanen & Lamusuo have used creatively in several projects.

The customer was especially attracted to the unique Nature Hotel & Spa Resort Järvisydän in Rantasalmi, as well as the church art projects of Partanen & Lamusuo.

Järvisydän Lake Spa, was designed according to the conditions of the landscape, is made of natural materials, such as natural rock and sunken logs found in the area.

"The customer had seen pictures of Järvisydän and curiously found out who designed the premises. We are truly taken by the attention our work has received. It is amazing to be able to design individual, personal locations that the customer has been dreaming about for a long time", Partanen & Lamusuo reflect.

Among the projects of church art, that attracted the customer, were You Are A Miracle, designed and implemented for the Kuopio Cathedral, Bud at the Church of Lauttasaari , and the Beginning of Everything designed for the Kontiolahti congregation center. 

"Landscape and nature will play a strong role in the architecture of the Wellness Centre. Time will tell if we will implement a work of art in the church hall of the Centre", Partanen & Lamusuo add.