You Can Sleep Under the Stars at These Glass-and-Steel Cabins in Latvia
If you’re looking for a relaxing retreat once travel picks up again, you might consider a stay at the Ziedlejas Wellness Resort in Krimulda, Latvia. Here, architect Zane Tetere-Sulce of Open AD has woven three 159-square-foot cabins into the idyllic landscape. “The Ziedlejas territory forms a sort of valley, where three hillside cabins overlook ponds in the center,” Tetere-Sulce says.
The cabins and sauna that architect Zane Tetere-Sulce designed for the Ziedlejas Wellness Resort are clad with Cor-Ten steel and glass.
Nestled into a grassy hillside, the cabins overlook ponds and oak, birch, and linden trees that grow on the property.
The resort is set in a cinematic landscape in Gauja National Park, where old-growth trees and brilliant green grassland surround clear ponds. During the Soviet era, the site hosted a scientific research station that conducted plant experiments—and there was also a sauna.
“In Latvia, before there was running water, the sauna was the bathroom and every farmstead had one,” Tetere-Sulce says. “The sauna tradition was, and still is, a cleansing ritual for the body, mind, and soul. As the cleanest spot in the home, it’s where women gave birth, so it holds a hefty amount of symbolic meaning about the beginning of life. One could also say the sauna was our ancestors’ version of therapy.”
The cabins feature foldaway beds and glazed walls that create the impression of sleeping outdoors.
The foldaway bed can be stowed to accommodate a low-slung dining table that pops up out of the floor.
According to Tetere-Sulce, today, visitors can attend a Latvian sauna alone or with a sauna master, who will guide them through the different stages of a three-to-five-hour session. “It’s normal to feel exhausted after the experience, so an on-site accommodation can help prolong relaxation and mindfulness,” the architect says.
A steel ladder leads to a sleeping loft, and a bathroom is tucked into the steel-clad portion of each cabin. “The bathroom walls and floors are covered in a waterproof putty that has been treated with a matte varnish,” Tetere-Sulce says. “This is a practical, durable solution for everyday use of the space.”
Prolonging the Latvian sauna experience is exactly what the owners of Ziedlejas Wellness Resort had in mind when they commissioned Open AD to design the three cabins for the spa. “They hired us because we see things holistically,” Tetere-Sulce says. “We don’t separate architecture from landscape or interior.”
In fact, Tetere-Sulce’s design for the cabins is so closely woven with the natural landscape that it’s as if the environment runs right through the front portion of the buildings. “One third of the cabin is glass,” the architect says. “There’s no visible barrier between the indoors and the outdoors, so visitors feel at one with nature.”
Landscape designer Grits Runis of Landshape designed the area around the cabins, planting a terraced garden that provides herbs for making tea.
The locally sourced Cor-Ten steel that clads the remaining two thirds of the cabins references the long history of metalworking in Latvia. “We thought about how the cabins would look against the landscape in a green summer setting, an orange-and-red autumn, and white winter conditions,” Tetere-Sulce says. “Cor-Ten performs well across the board, letting the landscape and architecture work together and complement one another.”
Tetere-Sulce created a glass facade for the front of the sauna building, which is built into the hillside and overlooks the ponds.
Each cabin is equipped with a loft-style bedroom, a small kitchen area, a bathroom, and a living/sleeping area surrounded by glass walls and roof. A foldaway double bed can be stowed to make room for a low-slung table that pops up from the wood flooring, serving as the dining area.
“Shoes must be removed when entering the cabin,” says Tetere-Sulce, who designed special shoe storage boxes that are attached to the inside of the front door. “Every interior element serves a purpose,” the architect says. “The intention was to create a clutter-free experience that facilitates guests’ connection with themselves, each other, and the nature around them.”
Guests can sauna while looking out to the ponds, the trees, and the expanse of grassland.
Guests can hit the spa for the day or retire to their cabin following a traditional sauna ritual.
The cabins are nestled into the lush hillside near the sauna building, which is crafted with gray-stained wood, Cor-Ten steel, concrete, and a large expanse of glass on the front facade. “It’s built into the hill, which affords natural privacy,” Tetere-Sulce says. “Guests in the cabins can’t see the sauna-goers, which is important since the sauna is best enjoyed naked.”
The flowers and herbs that grow around the cabins are harvested in the spring and summer and then dried for use during the winter months.
Shop the Look
West Elm Solid Pine Folding Chair
Nikari Arte Culture Sauna Stool
Landscape designer Girts Runis of Landshape created a terraced garden that grows an array of healing herbs used for tea. “According to traditional beliefs, each herb has a purpose,” Tetere-Sulce says. “Wormwood, for example, helps soothe the stomach and has cleansing properties, so guests can drink it before their sauna ritual.”
The blossoms from linden trees that grow on the property are also a source for tea, and leaves from the oak and birch trees on the site are used to tie besoms that are used in the sauna ritual. “As part of the experience, sauna-goers are lightly struck with besoms to stimulate internal processes,” the architect explains.
Tetere-Sulce finished the interior of the cabins and the sauna building with muted tones of gray and cream that can be seen in nature throughout the seasons in Latvia.
A low-slung, built-in bench runs along the expanse of glass in the sauna building, offering visitors a place to sit and ponder nature.
There are plans in the works to further expand Ziedlejas Wellness Resort, with another sauna and a fourth cabin, which are currently being built on the property. “The next steps include an event space, a reception area, and more cabins,” Tetere-Sulce says. “The ultimate intention is for Ziedlejas to become self-sufficient.”
For more information on booking a stay, visit the Ziedlejas Wellness Resort website.
Related Reading:
6 Extraordinary Prefab Saunas With Prices Starting at $10K
15 Outdoor Saunas That Bring The Heat
Project Credits:
Architects of Record: Zane Tetere-Sulce, Dace Bula, Zane Legzdina, Beatrise Dzerve, Alvis Petrovskis, Eva Heidingere-Jukama, Open AD / @openad_lv
Landscape Design: Girts Runis, Landshape
Author: www.dwell.com
published 2023-04-01 16:20:17
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