Warm minimalism for serene spa pavilion in Nova Scotia

If you squint a little it would be easy to imagine this as a stunning luxury home but in fact it is a luxury spa. It is the third pavilion style structure on the same parcel of land designed by Mackay-Lyons Sweetapple architects and is in Nova Scotia, Canada. In the words of the architects, “This new, third pavilion is sited and experienced very differently, below the others and tucked into the edge of the forest, facing a field, before the sea. The spa is conceived as a monolithic block of wood, carved to form interior spaces. All surfaces, inside and outside, are clad in clear cedar boards (re-sawn channel-joint shiplap). In order to maintain this concept, the glass tiles in the bathroom as well as the concrete floor, match the color of the cedar.

The entrance to the spa is via an elevated wooden bridge which meanders through the woods, and floats over the existing granite boulders and mosses. The minimalist approach requires a high level of craftsmanship in order to achieve a calm, serene effect.