Eden Martins’ Liquid Emotions project reimagines spa architecture as a sensory journey shaped by water, light, atmosphere and emotional sequence.
The project is set at Liverpool’s Princes Dock and is strongest when it is read as more than a relaxation venue. It asks how water can become a narrative device in architecture.
Watch: Architecture Social video
This Architecture Social video adds useful context before the practical guidance below.
Sensory atmosphere
The visual language matters here because the scheme is about atmosphere, reflection and emotional sequence. The project needs to be read as an experience, not only as a spa brief.
How water shapes the experience
The project treats water as more than a feature. Each part of the spa is designed to evoke a different emotional condition, from calm and nostalgia to power and fear.
- A rippling facade introduces the water motif before visitors enter.
- Lighting changes the mood and perception of the interior spaces.
- Mist, sound and projection help turn the spa into a sequence of sensory rooms.
- Natural materials keep the project grounded rather than purely technological.
- The Claire Wrigley Lighting Prize gives the lighting strategy extra weight in the project story.
Why the concept needs structure
Sensory projects can easily become vague if the atmosphere is not tied to a clear route. Eden’s strongest move is to organise emotional experience through sequence, material and light.
That makes the project easier to explain in a portfolio. The reader should understand not just how the space looks, but what emotional change each space is trying to create.
Portfolio lesson
A sensory architecture project needs evidence as much as atmosphere. Use the structure below when explaining this kind of work.
Architecture Social view
Stephen’s recruiter view is that atmospheric work needs a clear logic. If the project is about emotion, the portfolio has to show how plan, section, light and material produce that emotion.
Showcase a sensory architecture project
If your work is about atmosphere, water, light or installation, make the experience legible to someone outside your studio.
- Explain the emotional or sensory goal.
- Show how the route changes from space to space.
- Connect lighting and material choices to the experience.
- Use drawings or captions that prove the idea rather than only describing it.
Next step
Browse more project showcases, read the portfolio guide, or submit your own architecture project.
Add a comment