Supporting Programme

Inspired by tradition – the European Waterpark Association and the Cologne Fair Company exposed more than 50 contributions to an international competition for young architects and designers at the FSB Fair in Cologne from October 28th to 30th 2009. The students were asked to present their visions of SPA WORLDS based on the different bathing cultures of the world. The results of the competition were exhibited in hall 11.1, booth J 050.

On Thursday, October 29th at 11 AM the president of the EWA Dr Michael Quell and representatives of the Cologne Fair Company and the jury awarded the prizes to the winners of the competition. The prizes worth 2.500 €, 1.500 € and 1.000 € are donated by Dorena Freizeitanlagen GmbH & Co. KG, the Koelnmesse GmbH and by PAETAU SPORTS Versicherungsmakler GmbH. International experts, among them the President of Association of German Interior Designers Prof. Rudolf Schricker, formed the jury.

Following „Visions of Waterworlds“ (2003), „Water Toys for Kids and Adults“ (2005) and „Water Dreams / Water Spheres“ (2007) SPA WORLDS was the fourth interna-tional competition organized by Europe’s leading association of indoor and outdoor waterparks and the Cologne Fair Company with the aim to attract the world of water-parks to young designers and architects and to present innovative new concepts to the waterpark and leisure industries.

“Back to nasture” – that might be the headline of the competition according to the contributions. Most of the students of architecture and interior design that participated at the competition have chosen organic shapes and materials like wood, schist and bamboo. Even in a year that is devoted to the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the German “Bauhaus” pulsating lines and biomorphic shapes dominate the right an-gle and functionalistic design.

A wooden wave created by the student Thomas Gruß offers various possibilities for a relaxation close to the pool. Jana Schnelle was inspired by the cupola of the oriental hammam and renewed the idea with an open construction of bamboo and coloured glass. But there are also some real futuristic designs like the draft of the young stu-dent Julia Hofmann: two dynamic tubes offer space for sauna and wellness treat-ments.

With the exceeding design of the SPA WORLDS the visitors were addressed with all senses.