The home of Aeolus
Holistic design and clean architecture, with a timeless vision, are the keys by which the Gronda Studio have enhanced
the sophistication of this luxury family resort on the Andalusian Costa del Sol, in order to achieve a hospitality
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experience of the highest level.
The old wind towers of Arab origin that were
used to reduce the temperature of the buildings,
are the inspiration for evoking Andalusia
throughout the seven independent buildings
that make up the first luxury complex
with the ‘all inclusive’ modality of Ikos, the
Greek hotel group, in Spain .
This is a project that consists of seven main
buildings with 411 rooms and suites, as well
as a restaurant area that includes seven restaurants.
The Gronda Studio have designed the transformation
of these seven independent buildings
from the original structures of a typical seaside
hotel that had fallen into decline. “We demolished
everything except the structure, and
it was a big effort to design something that
we liked, conditioned as it was by the shape
of the existing buildings,” explains architect
Diego Gronda.
The holistic design of the Gronda Studio
The holistic design that characterizes the
Gronda Studio’s creations consists of thinking
only about the end users, “not about whether
architecture, landscaping or interior design is
being designed. It goes beyond the limits of the
designer himself,” says Gronda. “When a person
walks through the hall, he begins to build
an experience that transcends all the disciplines
of design. He does not distinguish between
them, he simply likes it or does not like it; he
connects or does not connect with the space”.
The source of inspiration is deeply rooted in
context and location. “We wanted to ‘catch’
the essence of Andalusia for an international
audience, in an abstract and non-thematic
way”; always pursuing the timelessness of the
spaces, the architecture and the interior spaces
of the hotel seek serenity and flexibility.
“The key to our creative process is to generate
simple, austere and flexible structures.”
Seven restaurants, seven experiences
The Ikos Andalusia boasts seven restaurants,
of which five are run by Michelin-starred
chefs. The design of these spaces was another
challenge for the Gronda Studio.
To avoid being repetitive or boring, Diego
Gronda says that “each of them has a very different
genesis, so that they are very different
from each other”.
The Greek restaurant is very minimalist; the
French imitates a restaurant in Provence; the
Beach Club is like being in Mykonos… “We
wanted each one to have a different viewpoint,
a different terrace-bar, different utensils… All
of this was undertaken so that the guest feels
as if they were in different hotels and different
countries, but without falling into the thematic”.
To achieve this, the Studio has looked for “invisible”
design hints to achieve a setting that is
not tedious, and that lasts over time.
FRESCO RESTAURANT INDOOR OUZO RESTAURANT OUTDOOR AT NIGHT