Forest Spa Resort Nové Město
Nestled within the forests of the Ore Mountains, Forest Spa Resort is conceived as a destination where nature, history, and wellbeing meet. The project draws inspiration from the site's unique character, its dense woodland, quiet atmosphere, and rich mining heritage, to create an architecture deeply rooted in its landscape.
A shelter in the Ore Mountains shaped by nature, where memory and stillness meet.
Built to belong between the trees…
The guiding concept is one of symbiosis: a resort that does not dominate its setting but belongs to it. The experience of arriving at Forest Spa Resort Nové Město should feel like stepping into a clearing, a protected world within the forest, where the boundary between inside and outside dissolves.
Facts
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Architect
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M.E estates s.r.o.
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Nové Město, Czech Republic
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14.000 m²
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2nd Place invited Competition 2026
How can the unique quality of the place be used to shape a strong and memorable experience?
Into the Forest...
The masterplan
The resort is organized across two sites. The Southern Site is the social and residential hub, with apartment buildings centered around shared amenities including reception, restaurant, and wellness facilities.
At the forest edge, the Spa Centre opens to the landscape through large glazed facades, creating a seamless connection between indoor wellness spaces, outdoor pools, and nature.
The Northern Site is carefully integrated into the former Rovnost labour camp with minimal intervention. Elevated buildings, connected by pedestrian paths, provide wellness and accommodation while respecting the site's memorial character and historical significance.
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Historical layers
The site's historical condition determines the distribution of density, preserving the Northern Site as a contemplative landscape while concentrating the building mass on the Southern Site.
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Context
The relationship with the surrounding forest guides the placement and orientation of the buildings.
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Enhancing
The design extends the surrounding forest landscape into the site by integrating new green areas.
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Identity
Access to and from the site and all buildings is organized around a central plaza that forms the main entrance to the resort and gives the place a new identity.
A resort for all seasons
Designed as a year-round destination, the resort supports winter skiing, summer hiking, wellness experiences, and outdoor activities for all ages. More than a resort, Forest Spa Nové Město is a place of belonging, an architecture that enhances the experience of the landscape rather than competing with it.
The resort is designed as a collection of low-rise timber buildings carefully placed between the trees. Inspired by Scandinavian architecture, the modular construction emphasizes warmth, simplicity, and a strong connection to nature. Volumes are separated to preserve views, daylight, and the continuous presence of the forest, allowing the landscape to flow through the development.
Natural materials such as timber, stone, and glass define the architectural expression, while generous glazing and sheltered loggias blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors. The result is a calm and immersive environment that offers both openness and refuge.
Designed for lasting memories, shaped by meaningful experiences.
At its heart, Forest Spa Nové Město is an attempt to create a place of genuine belonging for guests, for the community, and for the landscape itself.
Spa
The Spa Center is designed as a place where body, forest, and architecture come together. Organized around the rhythm of warmth and cold, activity and rest, it offers indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, treatment rooms, and spaces for relaxation.
Positioned at the forest edge, the building opens toward nature through floor-to-ceiling glazing, creating a seamless connection between inside and outside. Natural materials such as timber and stone create a calm atmosphere, while the surrounding landscape becomes an essential part of the spa experience.
Flexible and Modular Construction
The modular timber construction system combines sustainability, efficiency, and flexibility. Prefabricated components reduce construction time, minimize environmental impact, improve quality, and reduce material waste.
Its modular design also allows units to be added or reconfigured over time, enabling the development to adapt and grow with changing needs.
Memory Landscape
The proposal transforms Řetízkárna into a landscape of memory, where remembrance, reflection, and learning are embedded in the site itself. Respecting its history as a former communist labor camp, the design uses minimal interventions and a network of paths to create a quiet, reflective journey. Natural materials, subtle landscape gestures, and a restrained architectural language preserve the site's dignity while supporting spaces for education, commemoration, and contemplation. Landscape takes precedence over architecture, allowing history and nature to shape the visitor experience.
