Hayball and MALA Studio have designed a new thermal springs facility to be located on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Alba Thermals Springs and Spa will have 32 pools of varying sizes, including geothermal pools, cold plunge pools and herbal-infused botanical pools.
The buildings on the site will be partially embedded into the hilltop and will be made from curved and corrugated concrete, bronze glass and metallic finishes.
The main building will accommodate reception, retail, change rooms, a relaxation lounge, and spa treatment rooms, while the Springs Pavilion will be located higher on the site.
Hayball project director Eugene Chieng said the design is characterized by restraint and refinement, bringing together the “inspirational and the functional.”
“It is the symbiosis of the state of fluidity, the anticipation in the processional of spaces, and the beauty that is manifested in the curved lines that we sought in an attempt to seek moments of contemplation and the recalibration of self,” he said.
Alba Thermal Springs by Hayball and MALA Studio
The landscape will be extensively planted with indigenous floral varieties. “I confess I’m in love with this site,” said MALA Studio founding director, Campbell Morris. “Having grown up in the local area, the indigenous vegetation, rural context, and grasslands are warmly familiar and comforting. I wanted this design and planting to instil similar feelings of relaxation and calm.
“The flip-side to this serenity and stillness is the fact that weather conditions can change dramatically and in an instant. It was important that the gardens not only reflect that wildness but be able to withstand such unpredictability and thrive in all elements.”
“This is very much an atmosphere-driven project, with water as the mood-setter. Every area of the gardens has its own ambience, textures, palette, and theme, but it feels very natural and uncontrived. Each pool has its own space so that the bathers’ experience is undiluted.”
The facility is due to open in the winter of 2022.
