Wellness design race accelerates with pioneering Qld health retreat leading new development era
The coronavirus pandemic has created a new level of enlightenment for health and wellness buildings and a luxury Gold Coast redevelopment is leading the way with its amazing design. SEE THE PICTURES.
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A MULTIMILLION-dollar transformation of Australia’s longest established luxury health retreat is underway on the Gold Coast and providing a glimpse into a new development era.
According to design experts the impact of the coronavirus pandemic will accelerate the wellness race across every sector of the development industry.
Hitting the pause button due to the crisis has created a new level of enlightenment for healthier buildings and spaces that is expected to turbocharge – in a Zen-like manner, of course – the pursuit of wellness design.
Not only will it be a commercial imperative but it will also emerge as a competitive advantage, with every new project upping the ante on wellness design features and amenities.
Thirty-six years after first opening its doors, Currumbin Valley’s Eden Health Retreat — a pioneering property in Australia’s $9.5 billion wellness sector — is again leading the way.
The sprawling 154ha health sanctuary is being reimagined with an upgrade of its existing accommodation offering to include 12 high-end luxury cabins as well as a large purpose-built kitchen and dining facility and new yoga and pilates centre.
The redevelopment is being delivered by construction firm Unita and Collectivus interior designers along with some added exterior finesse by Push Architecture. It is due to be completed by the end of October.
Eden Health Retreat’s general manager Chris van Hoof said the COVID-19 shutdown provided the perfect opportunity to undertake the redevelopment.
But he said the retreat’s waiting list was growing by the day with increased inquiries from people looking to escape post-pandemic, reflecting a greater focus on personal wellness.
“The health and wellness industry has certainly seen growth in recent years,” he said. “But the fact that we’ve pushed the pause button on our normal routines and we’ve been isolated I think has created a real momentum behind our sort of offering.”
Mr van Hoof said the other big shift in the health retreat industry was that it had “become less of a bootcamp style of experience and more of a luxury experience”.
“So with this redevelopment we’re definitely dialling into the luxury element,” he said.
Collectivus senior interior designer Deborah Klokman Thomas said wellness had increasingly become an important consideration in the design of spaces, especially with the global pandemic in play.
“People are definitely looking more at wellness and the environment,” she said.
“The new cabins at Eden Health Retreat have been designed to create personal sanctuaries that sit respectfully within the lush bushland of the Currumbin Valley.
“The interiors are a sophisticated palette of soft timbers and light rendered walls, with touches of brass fixtures and lighting.
“We really wanted our design to communicate with nature and the Eden surrounds … the ultimate location to escape to post-lockdown to recharge and reset both the mind and body after this challenging period.”
Originally published as Wellness design race accelerates with pioneering Qld health retreat leading new development era
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