Holder Mathias has designed the 21,200m2 Centre Buildings for the new €233m Center Parcs Longford Forest, Ireland; the first Center Parcs UK holiday village abroad, which officially opened in July 2019. The centre buildings include a ‘Subtropical Swimming Paradise’, sports hall, bowling, restaurants, bars and shops, all overlooking a 3.5 hectare lake set in the heart of the forest together with an Aqua Sana, Center Parcs’ unique spa experience. Designed to fit within the woodland, creating sheltered landscaped spaces for guests whilst providing a touch of drama in the design of the Subtropical Swimming Paradise overlooking the lake, the aim was to create an emotionally warm place through crisp, contemporary design that engages guests, building on the approach developed for Woburn Forest.