Hôtel des Berges & SPA des Saules

A CONTEMPORARY BARN-LIKE STRUCTURE

Illhaeusern in Alsace. Population: 600. A bucolic postcard from Eastern France, a small village on the banks of a peaceful river. It was here, on the outskirts of the village, that the Haeberlin family created the now-famous Auberge de l'Ill over 150 years ago. With three stars in the Michelin Guide - without interruption - since 1967, the Auberge de l'Ill is part of Alsace's heritage and the family of great French gastronomy.

Today, Marc Haeberlin presides over the kitchen, surrounded by his sister Danielle Baumann and her children, to manage the gourmet restaurant. Marco Baumann runs the adjacent Hôtel des Berges.

In 2007, Marc Haeberlin and Danielle Baumann commissioned Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku to redesign the restaurant's interior architecture. This meeting sealed a loyal friendship that continued with the creation of Les Haras de Strasbourg, the chef's first brasserie in the heart of the Alsatian capital, in 2014, in an exceptional location, and a great success.

Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku drew their inspiration for the annex from the generously dimensioned frameworks of old Alsatian barns. The materials used are noble and raw, with a very limited palette. An oak frame rests against a concrete volume, set against smooth gray stone. The materials are left bare, expressing the need for authenticity and naturalness that guided the designers.

From the outside, an imposing wooden framework can be seen behind the trees, literally enveloping the building, with its anthracite-tiled roof and raw concrete volume. The 40-square-meter junior suites upstairs boast 7-meter high ceilings. On the first floor, the spa features a hot tub that extends from inside to outside.

THE SPA: A WARM, MINERAL SPACE

Contrary to the clinical idea one might have of hotel spas, Spa des Saules is intended to be a warm place of relaxation and detoxification. Sensual materials and discreet codes, true to the authenticity of the project, characterize the ambience of the spa located on the first floor of the barn. It is organized into a series of rooms, including reception, changing rooms, treatment rooms and relaxation areas.

At the heart of this space sits an exceptional object: a warm concrete stone. This monumental sculpture with its organic forms was cast on site. It can be used as an armchair in which to relax, or simply as a place to rest one's hands and enjoy the soothing warmth. The work represents the idea of a pebble passed through a fireplace, evoking a sense of comfort and well-being.

A motif punctuates the spaces: the willow leaf. Carved into the concrete, the designers use it in a dotted pattern throughout the project as a tribute to the property's weeping willows.

In the bedrooms, the search for authenticity continues. The bed, custom-designed by Jouin Manku, is placed in the center of the room. A large, fabric-covered, wrap-around headboard makes the space its own, giving it a more human scale.

PROCESS

In figures

Surface areas (excluding technical premises and back offices) :
- Accommodation: 300m2
- Bedrooms: 190 m2
- 5 rooms of 38m2
- Meditation: 50m2
- SPA: 980 m2

Informations

Client	Famille Haeberlin
Architectural concept, interior architecture and design	Jouin Manku Sanjit Manku Patrick Jouin Daphna Glaubert Mickaël Gouret Yann Brossier Henry Gagnaire
Executive architect	Atelier Rauseo - Architect Silvio Rauseo

Lighting designer	D'ECO LIGHTING - Brunstein
Craftsmen and companies	ARMINDO (structural work) CREA Charpente (roofing) Ets. WEREY (plasterwork) Atelier des Menetriers & les créagenceurs (joinery) INOXXIA (pisciniste) Ets. Bader (joinery) Ets.Husser (electricity)
Furniture	Patrick Jouin iD ("Ester" collection for Pedrali / "Kate" collection for Fermob)
Year	2016

Credits

A CONTEMPORARY BARN-LIKE STRUCTURE

PROCESS

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