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Located in Castlewood State Park, Missouri, the proposed Spa Center reimagines a once-thriving early 20th-century resort along the Meramec River. In the 1900s, the area drew thousands of St. Louis residents seeking summer escape, with hotels, dance halls, and riverfront activities nestled between limestone bluffs and a man-made beach.
Referencing Castlewood’s vibrant history and its decline after WWII, the new design proposes a third chapter: a spa hotel that bridges past and future through a layered architectural narrative. The building rises along the natural topography—from outdoor pools at the entry to a five-story atrium and elevated pool 65 feet above—framing a sequence of spatial experiences including a linear courtyard, circular ramp, observatory, and bridge.
The complex includes hot and cold pools, mud baths, saunas, spa rooms, hotel suites, and lounges. Pools are immersed in the wooded landscape at lower levels and open to panoramic river views above. Each program element integrates seamlessly with the terrain, creating a dialogue between architecture and nature.
