7132 Thermal Baths (formerly Therme Vals) is a hotel/spa complex in
Vals Vals is the word for waltz in many European languages.
Vals or VALS may also refer to:
* Peruvian waltz
* Venezuelan waltz
* Vals (dance), a dance related to Argentine tango
* VALS, "Values And Lifestyles," a psychographic segmentation tool
Place ...
, built over the only
thermal spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
s in the
Graubünden canton in Switzerland. Completed in 1996, the spa was designed by
Peter Zumthor
Peter Zumthor (; born 26 April 1943) is a Swiss architect whose work is frequently described as uncompromising and minimalist. Though managing a relatively small firm, he is the winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize and 2013 RIBA Royal Gold Medal.
E ...
(
Pritzker
The Pritzker family is an American family engaged in entrepreneurship and philanthropy, and one of the wealthiest families in the United States of America (staying in the top 10 of ''Forbes'' magazine's "America's Richest Families" list since the ...
2009).
History
![7132 hotel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/7132_hotel.jpg)
In the 1960s a German property developer, Karl Kurt Vorlop, built a hotel complex with over 1,000 beds to take advantage of the naturally occurring thermal springs and the source, which provides the water for Valser mineral water, sold in Switzerland. After the developer went bankrupt, the village of Vals bought the five hotels in development in 1983 and commissioned a
hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...
centre at the middle of the five hotels on the source of the thermal springs. The spa facility was built between 1993 and 1996, designed by
Peter Zumthor
Peter Zumthor (; born 26 April 1943) is a Swiss architect whose work is frequently described as uncompromising and minimalist. Though managing a relatively small firm, he is the winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize and 2013 RIBA Royal Gold Medal.
E ...
.
In 2012, the hotel and spa, previously owned by the Vals community, was sold to the investor Remo Stoffel for CHF 7.8 million.
Stoffel renamed the thermal site 7132 Therme & Hotel.
Stoffel turned the spa into a luxury resort and made its access exclusive to the clients of his next-door hotel.
In 2015, the architect
Thom Mayne
Thom Mayne (born January 19, 1944) is an American architect. He is based in Los Angeles. In 1972, Mayne helped found the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), where he is a trustee and the coordinator of the Design of Cities p ...
proposed a skyscrapping tower project right next to the Baths. The project sparked controversy in the field of architecture.
In 2017, Peter Zumthor complained that Stoffel was killing the social project of the Therme initially designed for the local community.
Architecture
Spa
Peter Zumthor
Peter Zumthor (; born 26 April 1943) is a Swiss architect whose work is frequently described as uncompromising and minimalist. Though managing a relatively small firm, he is the winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize and 2013 RIBA Royal Gold Medal.
E ...
was selected as the architect for the spa. The concept of the building is based on an architectural interpretation of a stone quarry.
Very characteristic for the movement in the building is constant change between the very small intimate spaces and the large meandering bath.
Built using locally quarried Valser quartzite slabs, the spa building is made up of 15 different table-like units, 5 metres in height, with
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
ed concrete roof units supported by tie-beams. These units fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The nature of the construction is revealed through close inspection of the roof – the roofs of the units don't join, with the 8 cm gaps covered by glass to prevent water ingress. Inside, this provides a dichotomy – the concrete makes the roof appear heavy, but the gaps between the units also make the roof appear to float.
The baths were designed to look as if they pre-dated the hotel complex, as if they were a form of cave or quarry-like structure. This is particularly evident from observing the grass roof structure of the baths, which resemble the foundations of an archaeological site, and reveal the form of the various bath rooms which lie below, half buried into the hill-side.
There are 60,000 one meter long sections of stone forming the cladding of the walls. They appear random like an
ashlar
Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
wall but there is a regular order. The cladding stones are of three different heights, but the total of the three is always 15 cm, so it allows for variety in arrangement, whilst facilitating construction.
Hotels
In 2016,
Thom Mayne
Thom Mayne (born January 19, 1944) is an American architect. He is based in Los Angeles. In 1972, Mayne helped found the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), where he is a trustee and the coordinator of the Design of Cities p ...
redesigned the hotel's entrance.
Kengo Kuma
is a Japanese architect and professor in the Department of Architecture (Graduate School of Engineering) at the University of Tokyo. Frequently compared to contemporaries Shigeru Ban and Kazuyo Sejima, Kuma is also noted for his prolific writings ...
designed the top-floor suites and
Tadao Ando
is a Japanese autodidact architect whose approach to architecture and landscape was categorized by architectural historian Francesco Dal Co as "critical regionalism". He is the winner of the 1995 Pritzker Prize.
Early life
Ando was born a few m ...
also worked on the project.
Trivia
*The music video for the song "
Every Time" by American singer
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
from her album, ''
The Velvet Rope
''The Velvet Rope'' is the sixth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. The album was released on October 7, 1997, through Virgin Records. Prior to its release, she renegotiated her contract with Virgin for US$80 million, the largest rec ...
'' (1997), was filmed in the then-new Therme Vals.
*The novel "Tout ce qui remue et qui vit" (2013) by
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
Writer
Isaac Pante takes place in the Therme Vals.
*French photographer
Dominique Issermann
Dominique Issermann (born April 11, 1947) is a French photographer. She works primarily with black and white photography, and is noted for her works in portraits, fashion and advertising.
She has shot campaigns for Sonia Rykiel, Christian Dior, N ...
spent three days with French model and actress
. The result of this photoshoot is available in a book published by
Éditions Xavier Barral
Éditions Xavier Barral is a French book publisher specialising in photography, architecture, contemporary art and science. It was founded in 2002 by Xavier Barral and based in Paris.
Martin Parr has said of Éditions Xavier Barral that "Every boo ...
.
See also
*
World Architecture Survey The World Architecture Survey was conducted in 2010 by '' Vanity Fair'', to determine the most important works of contemporary architecture. 52 leading architects, teachers, and critics, including several Pritzker Prize winners and deans of major a ...
References
External links
Official website*
{{Coord, 46.622, N, 9.181, E, type:landmark_region:CH-GR, display=title
Hotels in Switzerland
Buildings and structures in Graubünden
Commercial buildings completed in 1996
1996 establishments in Switzerland