Bhutan Spa Resort

Located in Bhutan, at the foot of Paro Valley alongside Paro River (Paro Chhu), the resort situates itself on a rectangular site. While the plot is relatively flat, the northern boundary has an existing road that sits 1.5m above, while towards the southern boundary, a steep 10m decline forms towards the banks of Paro Chuu. This provided an opportunity to split the resort into three function-oriented spaces (main building, foot spa area and body soak area), terraced towards the river, allowing occupants the opportunity to look out to it. This approach also ensures that the new built respects the existing profile of the river bank.

The main building consists of two blocks and a central axis. The latter references the position of the iconic Tiger’s Nest (Paro Taktsang), while serving as the main circulation through the building, into the courtyard which prefaces the foot and body spa facilities. The two blocks are tilted inward towards the central axis. The result is an architectural form that, despite respecting the cubistic nature of the traditional Bhutanese building footprint, is inclined towards fluidity, respecting the natural curvature of the river bank. Beyond the main building is the courtyard, an intermediate buffer area before entering the more intimate foot and body soaking areas.