Piscina & Wellness Barcelona awards prizes to the most innovative aquatic projects

The winners of the Piscina & Wellness Barcelona Awards, the Wellness Experience Awards and the International Competition for Architecture Students were announced at a gala dinner last night at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue, attended by more than 300 businesspeople and professionals. The three competitions recognize the most innovative products, spaces and aquatic facilities that improve the experience of use and wellness of swimming pools, as well as the projects presented by students from architecture universities around the world.

The jury of the Piscina & Wellness Barcelona Awards recognized the best aquatic facilities, projects, and solutions capable of bringing new benefits to users from the point of view of health, wellness, and the creation of community spaces, also assessing the degree of innovation, sustainability and the value proposition of the works, projects and products presented.

The award for Best Innovative Product in Sustainability at the fair went to ERCROS, S.A. for its new 100% recyclable cardboard packaging suitable for the sale to private individuals of products for the treatment of swimming pool water. The cardboard comes from responsible sources, as evidenced by its Forest Stewardship Council (FCS) certification.

The Best Innovative Product in Connectivity went to FLUIDRA for its new range of AstralPool Verdon VS variable speed connected pumps which, thanks to their self-regulation and programming system, optimize energy consumption and facilitate remote control via the Fluidra Pool App.

Wellness Experience Awards
The jury of the Wellness Experience Awards, which received a total of 52 entries, awarded the prize for Best Spa/Thermal Baths/Medical Spa to Vidago Palace Hotel Golf & Spa (Vidago – Vila Real – Portugal) in the category for Spain, Portugal and Andorra; Best Thalassotherapy Center to Palasiet Thalasso Clinic & Hotel (Benicàssim – Castelló de la Plana – Spain); and Best Wellness Spa to Parador Costa da Morte (Muxía – A Coruña – Spain).

In the category reserved for centers located in the rest of Europe, the award for Best Spa/Thermal Baths/Medical Spa went to The Retreat at Blue Lagoon (Grindavik – Iceland); the award for Best Thalassotherapy Center went to Riminiterme (Rimini, Italy); and the award for Best Wellness Spa Center went to Schloss Roxburghe (Roxburghshire – Scotland – UK). The Balneario de Mondariz Spa (Pontevedra – Spain) also received a Special Mention from the Jury.

International Competition for Architecture Students
For the fourth time, the show held a competition for students from architecture schools and universities who, on this occasion, presented a project for an aquatic center for public use, theoretically located in front of Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf.

The jury, made up of architects, technicians linked to the city and the company sponsoring the competition, Fluidra, valued the contribution of sustainable concepts as well as the implementation of innovative solutions that reflect on the value of water for uses related to health, wellbeing, and the community.

The winner of the first prize in the competition was the project “Costura Acuática” by Catalina Petra Lizasoain from the Escuela Superior Técnica de Arquitectura de Madrid, ETSAM; the second prize was awarded to the project “Reflexión, Refracción y Dispersión” signed by the students Dolores Orea Casado from the Escuela Superior Técnica de Arquitectura de Barcelona, ETSAB, and by Lorena Sánchez García and Clara Rivas Sainz, both from the Escuela Superior Técnica de Arquitectura de Madrid, ETSAM. Finally, the third-place winner was “The Shape of Water” by Daniel de Pérez-Cabrero from the School of Architecture of Barcelona, ETSAB.

Organized by Fira de Barcelona with the support of the Spanish pool sector employers’ association ASOFAP, Piscina & Wellness Barcelona will be held until November 30 in pavilions 1 and 2 of the Gran Via exhibition center with the latest products, accessories, and technological innovations for residential and public swimming pools, as well as installations and equipment related to wellness, spa, fitness, and decoration.

El salón cuenta con la oferta de más de 360 expositores, el 68% internacionales de 30 países, e incluye diferentes espacios experienciales, como el “Outdoor Living Experience”, dedicado al paisajismo y decoración de las zonas exteriores, la ‘Innovation Zone’ con las soluciones tecnológicas más innovadoras, y el ‘Wellness Experience’, un centro de bienestar en pleno funcionamiento con una piscina activa y las novedades en equipamiento para las diferentes estancias de este tipo de establecimientos.

The show features the offer of more than 360 exhibitors, 68% international from 30 countries, and includes different experiential spaces, such as the “Outdoor Living Experience”, dedicated to the landscaping and decoration of outdoor areas, the ‘Innovation Zone’ with the most innovative technological solutions, and the ‘Wellness Experience’, a fully operational wellness center with an active pool and the latest equipment for the different rooms of this type of establishments.

Barcelona, 28th November 2023

Mª Gloria Dilluvio – Maria Dolors Herranz
Tel. 93 233 21 72 – 2541
gdilluvio@firabarcelona.com
mdherranz@firabarcelona.com