Reflection by the River: An Urban Sanctuary for Renewal
Atelier 02: Urban Monastery: a sanctuary of reflection
Project
Set beside the Lock Keeper’s Cottage in Newark, the project reinterprets the idea of an urban monastery as a civic place of retreat, using water, light and material to create moments of cleansing, stillness and release. Responding to the River Trent and the lock, the building treats water as both a physical and symbolic threshold. The scheme extends across the river through a colonnade, forming a guided journey.
Project
The visitor journey is choreographed as a gradual transition. Arrival begins at street level before descending into a sequence of changing rooms, sensory deprivation pods, sauna, steam, cold plunge, treatment rooms and pool spaces. Each room offers a different atmosphere. The visitors are led to café areas, a natural pool space and wild swimming as they progress through the colonnade, reintroducing them to the natural world.
