SOL Elements

The brief

The brief called for a retreat people would travel for. The site, once a helicopter landing pad, sits beside a billabong on Tamborine Mountain, with a planning restriction that kept the use area under 200 square metres.

We drew the building as a circle made of sixteen sides. The radial plan gathers communal onsens, a salt cave, a float room, private suites and treatment rooms around a shared centre, controlling views and movement so ritual, privacy and company each have their place.

Inside, the walls and private suites are lined in Yakisugi, Japanese cedar charred by hand under the guidance of master craftsman Kenji Nishishita. No two boards are the same.

Recognition

National Design Excellence Award and Commercial Buildings, BDAA National Design Awards 2026

Use area

Under 200 m²

Plan

Sixteen-sided, radial

Program

Onsens, salt cave, float room, private suites, treatment rooms

Press

The Urban List, August 2025