UrBan Homme | Design Act

UrBan Homme, a face and body studio for men located in Singapore, designed by Singapore practice architect Design Act. The cocoon-like form provides the process of incubation and life-recuperating experience to every men emerging from it, connected by a floating bridge which leads to the rest of spa rooms.

+ Project description below provided by architect, Design Act

The experiential design

Similar to a cocoon, Urban Homme Spa and Body provides such process of incubation and life-recuperating experience where the nutrient-giving spa will give a ‘new life’ to every men emerging from it.

The entrance :

A separate cylindrical space wraps the reception entrance at the corner of the outlet, which can be kept opened to shopping goers to check for services, pricing, products, operating hours etc. while keeping the rest of the spa space secured.

Outer Sanctum – the ‘cocoon’ :

The spa highlights this idea of cocoon created by steel frame cladded with clear acrylic giving a light enclosure for the manicure and pedicure segment. This is the main visual selling point of the outlet as it fronts the main entrance. Within, a little circular pond-like water feature conceals the water basin for each customer. Every view within the cocoon is different depending on where one sits.

Side Elevation courtesy Design Act

Front Elevation courtesy Design Act

Front Elevation courtesy Design Act

The external-internal ‘skin’ :

The ‘skin’ that clad the entire outlet, both internal and external are made of strips of brown tint and clear mirror with gaps of concealed light oozing from behind. The use of brown tinted and clear tinted mirror was to reflect the surrounding environment so that the spa outlet wall appears almost transparent. However, the reflected light on the copper coloured wall, which it washes.

Section courtesy Design Act

The transitional bridge :

The card-activated curve sliding door opens up to reveal a ‘floating’ timber bridge sandwiched by two slanting glass panel with water streaming down and hemispheres spa rooms disappearing underneath the bridge. This bridge takes on a dual meaning for a customer walking through it, depending on his direction.

For every customer walking towards the inner sanctum signifies a readiness to be cleansed.
For one walking away from it, signifies being cleansed and revived and ready for the harsh elements of the external.

When both are not in used, with the sheer blinds up, one can experience the enclosure of the circular space through the streaming water on the glass panels.

The special spa rooms :

The 2 hemisphere spa rooms are meant for special package for 2. It could be for father and son or business associates who wish to better their relationship ties while having their privacy chats during a session of massage.

One of the hemispheres comes with an attached shower room – meant for customers that took the body scrub service followed by massage. Though these rooms are meant for two, it is designed for separate individuals when there should be a shortage of single rooms, with a sheer screen drawn around the massage bed to provide some form of barrier.

Layout Plan courtesy Design Act

+ All images and drawings courtesy Design Act