invisible studio builds new, sanctuary-like yoga space in somerset

invisible studio builds immersive yoga space for the newt hotel

Nestled amid a vegetable garden, this new Yoga Studio is the third project completed by Piers Taylor’s Invisible Studio for the Newt Hotel in Somerset, UK. Spanning 100 sqm, it complements the hotel Gym, to which it sits adjacent, and the Beezantium that was built back in 2021. ‘The need for the yoga studio came from carrying out informal and impromptu yoga classes in the Beezantium while the hotel was waiting for the exhibition to be carried out, and the hotel asked for a similar top-lit space but located behind the gym,’ comments the practice.

all images © Jim Stephenson

sculpting the facades using rammed stone

Similarly to the exterior design of the Newt Hotel Gym, the Yoga Studio facades are coated entirely in rammed stone. To create the mix, the architectural team used locally sourced ‘Hadspen’ limestone, which has a distinctive red coloring. Meanwhile, the copper detailing found across the building recalls the family of materials established within the Beezantium.

‘The walls are set out using a 600mm lift, with approx. 4-6 ‘pour’ layers in every lift. The stone was all mixed on site, and poured bucket by bucket into the formwork. There are stainless steel tubes in the wall to ventilate a cavity behind, which is formed using Surecav. The external skin is tied back through the surecav to a ply sheathing fixed to an internal studwork wall. The roof membrane is dressed over the parapet at the top to protect it, but held back an inch or so from the edge to conceal it. The exposed portion is then protected by a shelter coat,’ explains Piers Taylor, Founder of Invisible Studio.

using locally sourced limestone to build the facades of the Yoga Studio

light-filled, warm-toned, and sanctuary-inspired

Indoors, the architects lined the entire room with beech slats to provide a warm and immersive, sanctuary-like ambiance. Additionally, by pairing rough-textured facades with soft indoor linings, hotel guests and visitors get to enjoy a captivating visual contrast from different vantage points.

While the Gym frames the vegetable garden via its impressively large window, the Yoga Studio opens onto a single view of the sky through a generous 11-meter-long rooflight made from a single, insulated, and double-glazed unit. So while lying down on their mattresses to relax and unwind, or bending back during sun salutations, yogis can catch a soothing glimpse of the light-blue backdrop, helping them ease further into their meditative practice.

an 11-meter-long opening offers a single view of the sky