Untitled DocumentPeter Zumthor's"An architecture which renounces formal integration into the existingThermal Bath valsbuildings in order to bite more deeply,to suggest what seemed moreVals,Graubunden,fundamental to us in connection with the task in hand;namely,to1990-1996place the thermal bath in a particular relationship with the primalstrength and geological substance of the mountain scenery and theimpressive relief of the topography.DescriptionThe entrance into the Vals Thermes is accessed through asubterranean passage from the hotel.Half sunk into the earth,theentrance leads to the darkest part of the building,located in themountain.The motion through the building slowly reveals itsstunning views;as one travels from the narrow caverns by themountain towards the daylight in front the perception is changed.The monolithic construction system of a consistent composite ofstone layering and reinforced concrete break up;the building as awhole resembles a large porous stone.It blends nicely into itssurroundings,patiently 'hand-crafted'with local Valser quartzite.Theconcrete ceiling of the fluid overall space has light slits or'fissures'.As an other kind of 'fissure',the iron richness of the water pours outfrom wall-mounted copper pipes and stains the stone that liesbeneath its flow.The baths,made out of stone,interlock into eachother and protect the more private therapy level which includessmaller rooms for varied types of massages and physiotherapy."Mountain,stone,water,building in stone,building with stone,building into the mountain-our attempts to give this chain of wordsan architectural interpretation,to translate into architecture theirmeanings and sensuousness,guided our design for the building andstep by step gave it form."Philosophy -designPlace,material,energy,presence,recollection,memories,images,density,atmosphere,permanence,concentration.These are someof Peter Zumthor's main concerns when thinking about buildings.These elements must be transformed into something concrete whichwill be felt through the experience of the place.He emphasizes hiswish to create spaces with soul,which become part of everyday lifeand stand against the general artificiality of the world.For him,thelanguage of a material itself is more important than its form,as onlylaclmal28(/Ededent.html (1 of 3)2005/2/3 V 11:48:18 Untitled Documentsimplicity and clarity of the building will attract us to choose it for ourcomfortable dwelling.Many images where combined to create the intricate building ofVals.There were images of quarries and water flowingspontaneously from the ground but it is the primal act of bathing thatorganizes the building.Because of the building's location a specialrelationship is established with the mountain landscape;its naturalpower,geological substance and impressive topography.Themonolithic mass of the building takes its precedent in the mountainand so does the idea of hollowing out of the stone to create spaces.As a result,a landscape of blocks in the building becomes bothstructural and structuring.The blocks become hollowed out toprotect more private spaces.They have been named according totheir different functions:sweat stone,shower stone,massage block,drinking fountain stone,fire bath,flower bath,cold bath,...Extracting from these elements,Zumthor wanted to create a buildingwhich would feel like it has always been thereArchitecture-experience第nBge嘉ling6rhe7 icahature,for17.I7.C,darkness and lightness,the reflection of light upon the water,for thediffusion of light through steam-filled air,the different sounds thatwater makes in stone surroundings,warm stone and naked skin,theritual of bathing.These images seem to be part of a universal andprobably profoundly archaic heritage.They are related to the oldbaths in Budapest,Istanbul and Bursa;these archaic imageapparently slumbering in a virtually archetypal awareness.Byignoring advanced technology and its funfair,the building achievestimelessness,a temple-like quality,that fits bathing so well.Seemingly static at first glance,the spatial concept is in factcompletely dynamic and this duality of impression between the stilland the kinetic makes the building a place of awakening of thesenses.It involves new sensory experiences through the body,anew fundamentalism of ability-to-experience.The water,light,steam,heat and smell further add to the definition of areas within the ritualof the bath."The darkening of the water at closing time brought the Vals bathsmuch closer to the ones in Hungary,where light is mostly cast fromlaclmal28(/Ededent.html (2 of 3)2005/2/3 V 11:48:20 Untitled Documentabove,as it is in churches and temples.As expected,the light inVals has more to do with theatre(it would surely fit a Beckett play).It's spectacular,knowledgeable and without any tinge of innocence."BibliographyZumthor,Peter,Three Concepts,Luzern:Edition ArchiteckturgalerieLuzern,1997Zumthor,Peter,Binnet,Helene,Peter Zumthor Works;Buildings andProjects 1979-1997,Baden:Lars Muller Publishers,1998Zumthor,Peter,Thinking Architecture,Baden:Lars MullerPublishers,1998www.galinsky.com/buildings/baths/www.strath.ac.uk/Departments/Architecture/cities/d webdes/barron web/vals.htmlwww.therme-vals.ch/en/zumthor.php?activeNav=Zumthor&language=enwww2.arnes.si/-lidessa1/zumthor/nttp://www.thermes.org/feisen.tm.Nwww.latenightpool.com/2002 07 01poolback.phplaclmal28(/dedent.html (3 of 3)2005/2/3 V 11:48:20 The Thermal Baths,Vals,SwitzerlandObfslanding Recent ArchitecturrExemplars|Baok to Home PageTHE THERMAL BATHS.VALS,SWITZERLANDArchitect:Peter Zumthor.Peter Zumthor is an architect of extreme slowness as a result of incredible exacitude.Unbending and fundamental,he has recourse not so much to the claim of art,as to a far morefundamental responsibility for "correct building".It must be hand-crafted above all and follow theexact idea of the architect.With some justification,Peter Zumthor,who lives in Chur in theSwiss canton of Graubunden,is also known as the"Saint of The Mountains".Peter Zumthor'sdesigns-only a few in his portfolio to date-are always milestones as well as basic and uniquestatements on the architectural potential of a place and a task.The Building.This also applies to thethe Thermal Baths at Vals.The town is situated at the remote end of adeep valley in Graubunden,1200 metres above sea level.An important resource in Vals is itshot spring:the water bubbles out of the mountainside,and has been exploited for therapeuticand tourist purposes since the 19th century.As a result of this a hotel complex was built in1960,an innocuous attempt at the late modern movement of tourist architecture.The complexhas suffered in recent times from a lack of attractiveness,which lead to a decision by the localauthority to construct a new thermal bath.The council came down in favour of a proposal byPeter Zumthor,well aware that this could involve the execution of a difficult and potentiallyexpensive project.The new thermal baths stand alone half sunk into the earth;it is detached from the existing hotelcomplex,only being connected to it by an underground passage.A monolithic stone structure,which arouses the impression that the rooms and uses are bourne out of some sort oflabyrinthine plan.The architect's statement by way of explanation "an architecture whichrenounces formal integration into the existing buildings in order to bite more deeply,to suggestwhat seemed more fundamental to us in connection with the task in hand;namely,to place thethermal bath in a particular relationship with the primal strength and geological substance of themountain scenery and the impressive relief of the topography"In other words,Zumthor wants to "bite more deeply";he wants to push forward the"primalstrength",and he likes the idea that"the new structure conveys the feeling that it is older than itsexisting neighbours,that it has always been here in this landscape"ack/Dtrs/Architecture/cities/d_webdes/barron_web/vals.html (1 of 3)2005/2/3 V 11:48:41 The Thermal Baths,Vals,SwitzerlandExercal View of Maih PoolExlernel Kinw ofindtideal spa ExterhafView Prom Scating AreaRopmisAcross Miain Poaland Sutrounding Eand capenterbr View of L qunge rea Vie of ioner Stair From Below.N The Ralkwey to the CoveredZumthor thought that the building "in its entirety should seem like a great porous stone".Toachieve this,the architecture must step in as a methodically constructive intention.Zumthorredevelops what is known as "Vals Laminated Stonework":thinly cut section of local stone.Borne by the structure of the concrete,large "tables"with widely projecting ceiling elements,puttogether,finely distanced one from the other,into a geometric pattern,with slits to let the light infrom above-these emphasising the independence of the compositional principle.They comeacross as stone tables.The lamination principle is assigned by the cladding of the stone parts,where every part is drawn and measured.The architect indeed draws and develops the typology and dimensions of the individual claddingstones and also prescribes which stone should be placed where and at what size.Over andabove this absolute technical control of the architecture,we have the concept of use andatmosphere.The rooms and volumes of the baths are defined and designated by Zumthor.Thuswe have a sweating-stone,a showering-stone,a massage block.a drinking stone,a relaxationroom,a fire-bath,a blossom-bath,a cold-bath,a sound stone.......This is where the problems of the new Thermal Baths in Vals begin.The basic architecturalwork escapes into a new concept of utilisation.The bath is not a experience-bath in classictourist sense.It involves a new experience,the body,our sensory aspects.What was thought ofack/Dtrs/Architecture/cities/d_webdes/barron_web/vals.html (2 of 3)2005/2/3 V 11:48:41 The Thermal Baths,Vals,Switzerlandin architectural terms as the new fundamentalism of ability-to-experience,as resistance to theso-called "experience-baths",topples over as a fundamental architectural message into a"NewAge"context,still utilisable,only differently.In the concept of the Thermal Baths at Vals,Zumthor wanted to implant a fundamentalarchitectural message.The facts that utilisation and marketing,however,show clearly that thisarchitectural concept too can be devistated by consumerism.The Thermal Baths in Valsrecognisably lives by the special,internal strength of the architect.New spacial experiences andphysical sensations are the theme;the Thermal Baths wants to impart to us a new lesson in ourrelatonship with the tourist baths,it demands a direct sensory encounter with the elements.Outstanding RecenkArchitectural Exemplars|Back to Home Pageac/trs/Architecture/cities/d_webdes/barron_web/vals.html (3 of 3)2005/2/3 v 11:48:41
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