Designing the Non-Building: The Lake Club

Designing a structure to stay hidden may seem like an antithetical endeavour at first. The concept of a ‘non-building’ was inspired by the Lake Club’s location in Marbella, a well-known tourist destination in the South of Spain cherished for its panoramic views of mountains and expansive oceans. When property development group Real de la Quinta launched a public competition for the Lake Club, Stewart and Partners took a position that placed landscape first, architecture second. The design for a building that houses a wellness center, restaurant, shop and children’s play area featured a subdued architectural style to keep attention on the surroundings. “It is not a building at all… we’ve reinstated the landscape,” Alex Stewart, director at Stewart and Partners explains.

The ‘non-building’ – inseparable from its surrounding landscape – required shrewd attention to micro and macro details. This is how the ‘non-building’ was achieved:

The landscape is visible from all points

Mimicking the contour lines of the uneven terrain, the curved shapes of the Lake Club are instinctive and deliberate, expressive yet containing. Architecture is submissive to nature, facilitating an active engagement with the main features of the site and its amenities. Natural tones and earthly textures allow the buildings to recede with minimal visual impact. The outlines of the building trace the forms of existing heights: the Lake Club emerges discreetly from its mountainous backdrop. Although the landscape is visible from all points, public and private spaces are strategically placed.

The columns' tapered shapes, white concrete and the gentle thinning of the canopy as it stretches towards the sky appear to be effortlessly natural. The plans, however, tell a different story: these complex geometries required extra processes during construction. To cast such a slender column, a square shape was moulded first, followed by collars that wrap around it and create a smooth finish.

An endless loop connects locations

A free-flowing circulation pattern with no beginning and no end structures the site. Pavilions situated along the contours act as landmarks that guide visitors through the continuous loop.

The amenities conjoin at the central oculus – a circular opening in a surface. The term originates during the period of antiquity and became a feature of Byzantine and neoclassical architecture. At this location,the oculus preserves the subtle-yet-lively shapes present throughout the facility. Circular patterns are continued in the large skylights featured in the rooftop garden.

Looking from above, organic shapes coalesce.

Ecosystem rehabilitation is at the centre of the project with greenery built into the design. In line with sustainability guidelines, the project has secured BREAMM certification.

Spatial design is a language

Daniel Xu, previously a director of Stewart and Partners and current Norman Foster Institute scholar, articulates Marbella’s uncanny setting that resembles Cape Town’s mountains, oceans and warm climate.

While the terrains may be similar, the collaboration between the local Spanish architects and South African-based designers at Stewart and Partners demanded a leap across languages. This is where collaborative digital technology Building Information Modeling (BIM) fit in: Revit models allowed fora full immersion into the design.

Construction begins

The Lake Club features a 6-hole golf course and one of the largest 400m lakes in Spain, making it suitable for a variety of water sports. A considerable scale to work at, the early signs of construction show carvings into the earth. Architect Paula Saco, our Spanish representative, has pioneered the project from the site.

On the South African side, Katherine van Wyngaarden administers the communication from on-the-ground updates as the contractors interpret drawings throughout the construction. The swooping curves of the roof slabs and oculus develop as the non-building takes shape.