hospitalitystyle.com

(Winter 2011) posted on Wed Jan 25, 2012 EST

Behind the Screens: HBA London reworked its product sources, processes and procedures to create the wonder-world of the ESPA at the Istanbul Edition.

By Mary Scoviak

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Guests enjoying therapies at the ESPA at the Istanbul Edition hotel probably aren’t aware of the Lutron lighting software that’s adjusting the illumination to match different phases of their treatments. Nor are they meditating on the fact that HBA London’s designers spent a fair amount of time pouring aromatic oils onto—and rubbing treatment products into—samples of the treatment rooms’ chocolate leather flooring (and nearly every surfacing material in the spa) to make sure it could withstand the inevitable drips and spills. Clients come to spas like this luxurious enclave expecting magic. It’s up to the service providers—and the interior designers—to make that happen without any hint of the real work involved.

Conjuring up the “contemporary, moody, masculine take on a traditional Turkish steam bath,” or hammam, envisioned by the hotel’s owner (the Istanbul-based Palmali group) required a little sleight of hand and a couple of tankers of midnight oil. “Throughout the ages, the architecture of hammams has featured a dome with star-shaped cutouts that filter natural light,” says Inge Moore, principal, HBA London. “Since the openings range in size and vary in angles, they cast dramatically layered shadows. That aspect became the thread that weaves together the spa design.”  

The first problem in translating inspiration into execution was the lack of natural light. Like many wellness centers, the ESPA is sited underground. Its 20,000 square feet are spread over three subterranean levels beneath the bank that was converted into the Istanbul Edition. Partnering with DPA Lighting, the designers explored ways to simulate the effect they wanted by building rough mock-ups of lighting features from museum board (a black, acid-free cardboard) with holes punched through it. “We used 10 different densities and patterns. Then, we put them in a dark room and lit them from behind to see the layers and shapes of the scattered shadows,” says Nathan Hutchins, associate, HBA London.