Exterior Images

Exterior

Exterior of Therme Vals with arrays of square windows

Exterior of the spa composed from layered slabs of Valser quarzite

Grassy rooftop with a swimming pool below.

Outdoor seating area overlooking the Swiss hillside

Outdoor swimming pool

The Therme Vals." Arch Daily. N.p., 11 Feb. 2009. Web. 2 Sept. 2015. 
     <http://www.archdaily.com/13358/the-therme-vals>. 

"Therme Vals." Homeli. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2015. <http://homeli.co.uk/ 
     therme-vals-spa-by-peter-zumthor/>. 

Zumthor, Peter. Peter Zumthor: Buildings and Projects 1985-2013. Vol. 2. Zurich: 
     Scheidegger & Spiess, 2014. Print. 

Interior Images

Interior

Seating area overlooking Swiss mountainside with large windows and plenty of natural light

Corridor in the spa

Indoor swimming pool with the Valser Quartzite strip walls.

"Therme Vals Spa Switzerland May 30th, 2008." Daily Icon. N.p., 30 May 2008. Web. 
     2 Sept. 2015. <http://www.dailyicon.net/category/life/travel/page/ 
     8/>. 

Architectural Drawings and Plans

Architectural Drawings

The drawing above emphasizes the original concept of the building as a field of blocks. 

Pictured above is a rendering of the spa in the middle of the five hotel buildings.

The image above contains sketches illustrating how users will engage in the various facilities.

Pictured above is a floor plan of the spa services available.

Pictured above is another floor plan of the facilities.

Sources:

"Thermal Baths Vals Floor Plan." Mehve. N.p., 16 Aug. 2015. Web. 2 Sept. 2015. 
     <http://www.mehve.net/ 
     933c2976e568e25e-thermal-baths-vals-floor-plan.html>. 

"Therme Vals Spa Switzerland May 30th, 2008." Daily Icon. N.p., 30 May 2008. Web. 
     2 Sept. 2015. <http://www.dailyicon.net/category/life/travel/page/ 
     8/>. 

Zumthor, Peter, and Sigrid Hauser. Peter Zumthor: Therme Vals. Illus. Hélène 
     Binet. Zurich: Scheidegger & Spies, 2007. Print. 

Introduction to the Therme Vals

Basic Information:

Name: Therme Vals
Location: Graubünden, Switzerland
Architect: Peter Zumthor with Marc Loeliger, Thomas Durisch and Rainer Weitschies Dates of construction: 1993-1996

Program:

Spa

Purpose and Function:

The spa complex in Vals is constructed over the thermal springs in Graubünden. Five-hotel complexes surround the spa. After buying the hotels from the bankrupt property developer Karl Vorlop, the villagers commissioned a hydrotherapy center to attract new visitors. 

Peter Zumthor designed the spa with a central concern in mind: "Mountain, stone, water – building in stone, building with stone, building into the mountain, building out of the mountain, being in the mountain – how can all the associations and all the sensuousness which these words evoke be translated into a building, that is to say, interpreted in architectural terms?" 

Zumthor answers his question in the final product. Designed to resemble a quarry, the building stands in harmony with the natural environment. The grass-laden roof paired with the "buried" position of the complex produces a kind of primal effect, as if the spa existed before the hotel and even the village. Composed of the locally-sourced Valser quarzite slabs, Therme Vals is an example of the essential yet basic elements of rock and water combining to produce a relaxing environment.