This website will give you information on the location, contact info, opening hours and not to forget a virtual tour of the facility.

http://www.therme-vals.ch/?__locale=en

Meanwhile here's the KMZ.

Ok, i am going to try and salvage what's in the google cache.... here we go
i'll post the text first and then follow up with the images later.

Ok, i am going to try and salvage what's in the google cache.... here we go

Back to the pants camera 007...

By far the biggest highlight of my recent trip, the Thermal Baths at Vals by Peter Zumthor is probably the only project I have visited where the architectural traveller can experience the whole project and the various sensual experiences as it was intended... for tourists and hotel guests to use the baths.

Valser water is a famous brand of mineral water in Switzerland. And I guess the town of Vals wanted to draw more tourists to come to their little town so they commissioned Peter Zumthor to design a bath house with Valser mineral water.

The Therme Vals is actually part of an old hotel complex and therefore you can actually stay there. It is highly recommended that you should stay at the hotel even just for 1 night, which includes access to the bath.

The entry fee to the baths just by itself is already 28CHF. By staying at the hotel, you have access to the bath on the day you check in as well as in the following morning, when the baths is only open for hotel guests (which is the best time!)... that already equates to 56CHF.

By Car
To reach Vals from Zürich you have to take the high-way to Chur. 8 km after Chur follow the main street to Flims / Laax / Ilanz In Ilanz the sign will lead you to the entrance of the Vals valley from where a 20 km long road will guide you through a beautiful mountain area. If you choose the route over the "Oberalppass", which is only passable in summer, you have to leave he main road in Ilanz, too.

By Public Transport
From the airport Zürich you take the train to Zürich main station where you have to change to Chur. Arrived in Chur you have to change again to Ilanz/Disentis. In Ilanz a bus will drive you to Vals.

MAKE SURE YOU CHECK IF IT IS OPEN BEFORE YOU GO, IT IS NOT OPEN EVERYDAY OF THE YEAR!!

Here is a photo of the Postal Bus driving up from Ilanz up the Vals valley.

Hotel Room

Ok... here is the biggest insider hint for you architectural travellers.

As I mentioned previously, the best deal is to stay in the Hotel as you get to go to the bath twice (each entry already 28CHF). We opted for the cheapest room rate of 99CHF per person for a double room, it turned out that the room we got is the ONLY room with a direct view of the bath building itself!!!

Make sure you remember ROOM 421

Here is what the room look like as we first opened the door.

the special window that has the view of the baths building

view out that window

and the view out the balcony to the township of Vals

Let me now show you a bit of the context of the Therme Vals building(s)

This is the township of Vals, a typical Swiss alpine town in that part of Switzerland.

The thing to note here is that it seems the Swiss buildlings (traditional) are either made of timber, or rendered in beige. These are pretty prominent in the Swiss alpine landscape, scattered throughout. The only other prominent elements are the various rock outcrops on the hills.

Another view

So, the baths building is made out of local stone, the building just magically disappear in the Swiss landscape and feels very natural. The way the building is half underground further emphasize the rock-like nature of the surrounds.

Here you can see the stone baths building as seen from the main road of Vals, hidden amongst 60's style hotel buildings (rendered in white/beige of course)

Now... here is the tricky bit.

I knew well in advance that no photography is allowed in the baths, so in Hong Kong we bought an additional small slim camera and in Finland we bought a small clear waterproof bag usually used for outdoor activities such as for maps, gps or mobile phones.

Being male, I was able to have this small camera in the waterproof bag shoved down the front of my bathers to get you guys exclusive shots of what it is actually like being at the baths (not just the well published shots)

Call me dedicated!

Entry to the baths is via the main hotel building, you bascially tunnel in.

(This ceiling here is a fine wire mesh in case you are wondering)

pass that corrdior in the picture above, you go pass the baths reception where you would pay if you are not a hotel guest, pick up your towel and get to this turn stile whcih is the start of Zumthor's building.

Here I was standing on the other side of the turn stile looking down the corrdior with the change rooms on the left side of the corridor and water running down the right side of the wall onto a trough

you can see the minerals in the water staining the concrete walls and stone floor

Here in the change room I was preparing and practicing using the camera (so excuse the poor quality shots).

In the timber lined change rooms (floors, walls, ceilings, lockers) you get change and put away all your clothing in those lockers and the key has a leather strap to be tied to your hand with the key attached.

This is the leather curtain with the crome circular right angle rail for the cubicles where you get changed.

back into the corridor or through the change room will lead to the main bath spaces.

this is the shower block with black concrete walls and the same crome detail for your towels

In the central bath, it is 32 degrees human skin temperature and the most neutral, this is the bath where all the famous shots of the blue skylights are.

so, it is REALLY like the published photos, it really looks like this.
being there is simply amazing feeling, the sensual experience of this space is beyond words (i do have a limited vocabulary though)

looking up at the skylights whilst floating in the main pool

handrail detail

there are themed rooms that surrounds the central pool, one is pitch dark with balinese music, one is with with a spout of dripping water that you can drink, one is a bath with flower petals and scent, one is 42 degrees water and opposite to that is one with 14 degress water! there are also a couple of rooms that are there for you to lounge and look out to the surrounding landscape.

here is the 42 degrees room, the ceiliing of this room is actually twice the height of that doorway you can see.

here is the room with the spout of mineral water

the water disappears in a hole in the ground, note the cups there hanging on the rail so you can grab a drink from the flow (i didn't like the water as it tasted metallic)

all lighting is from the ground up as you can see

Here is the flower petals room with a strong scent in the air, water temperature is 34 degrees if my memory serves me correct.

as with the 42 degrees room, the coloured concrete is just above the waterline and white (or a light colour) is painted below with the main source of lighting, so the water appears to glow.

flower petals in the water

looking back to the entrance of the flower petals room, junction of materials

one of the most amazing spaces is the 'grotto' which you have to wade through a small entrance (to a space underneath the change rooms corridor)

it is the only room where the stone is rough and the stonework goes all the way to the floor through the surface of the water (as opposed to stopping at the waterline). my believe is that it is a space where you can exfoliate by rubbing yourself on the rough stones, hence the hand rail there

looking back to the entry of the grotto

here is a shot of the outside pool which is at 36 degrees.
you will see more of this later, it was hard to photography as it was one big space, a very popular one too and people were everywhere which made it hard for me to bring out the camera and take photos.

underneath all these pools are the theraputic treatment rooms, such as mud rubs and flower infusions etc etc... all cost an arm and a leg! (which means i didn't go into them and hence no photos)

here are the stairs and lift to get to those rooms just from a corridor next to the turn stiles just before you enter the baths

at night, the experience within the baths building changes, the landscape of which you looked out to disappears, leaving only reflection of the insides on the huge glass windows, shrinking the spatial experience. The outside is probably the most interesting at that time of the night when the water is glowing and the stars are above you.

this is the view from our room at night

again

close up

ok, here are the morning shots, taken before the sun rose above the mountains in the valley.

as i said, the morning (the most quiet) is only available for hotel guests

here is a nook i waited for an opportunity to photograph the outdoor spouts with jets of water to massage your back

i sneaked around that corner and took this shot

the indoor lounge seats looking into the distant landscape

note that small square window you can see through that window... that's room 421 where we stayed, the only window on that whole facade that faces the building

more of that central pool space in the morning

slits of light

the sun finally rose above the ridges and ... voila!

I always thought that this building was huge prior to the visit because of these shots. I found out that it is because this view is taken from a pathway down the slope leading to the hotel outbuildings.

another view from that same path

close up of window

here is the main hotel foyer (in a rather stylish yet dated interior). through there you can see the roof of the bath building covered in snow.

the view from the foyer deck

the roof skyllights

detail of roof skylilghts and grass roof

around the outside looking back to the external pool

here are the surrounding hotel buildings, the one we stayed in.
you can also see the huge 2 storey timber farm houses up on the hills like tiny dots

last shot (althought i do have many more).
the red restaurant in the original hotel building adjacent to the blue foyer where you would have breakfast (included in room price)

Here a structure detail from a documentary on it.

a skeme of how these elements are assembled...

A deail of the skylit and grass above the junction

It's finally reposted! Thanks Kevin! :not worth :craqueur:

I've dowloaded this 30 minutes documentary from emule with an interview to Peter Zumthor.
Very good, albeit in french (desolee!)

Architectures 2_5.Les thermes de pierre [Peter Zumthor]_DivX Pro 5.1.1_2 passages_[DVD Rip By Averell]_FR.avi

Beware: There is also one of 1.4GB that includes the thermes and 5 other various buildings (3 hours)!

thank you again for the repost...a very well documented thread. and one that has convinced me to one day see this place.

this is only one of the many travel threads i have posted that were gone. :bang head

still a long way to go

Great 2 see this back on PPB!

A must see building, thou i think i'll pass on the camera down the swimmies trick... :eek:

:craqueur:

I hope Page will add his observations again.

I've dowloaded this 30 minutes documentary from emule with an interview to Peter Zumthor.
Very good, albeit in french.

It's probably from the series 'Baukunst/ La Collection Architectures' by Richard Copans showed on Arte Television, A great series!

Thanks to you Kevin for posting these again. :clap: :rock on: :clap:

great post swank-e... you are to be commended for your 'undercover' work. :D i have a magazine featuring this building on my desk and it is dog-earred frequently opened to those pages. it's great to get your insight about the nature of ones' actual use of the building and its success. also, thanks for the tips. i hope to get there some day soon.

cheers! :cheers:

jeff

I am an architecture student at the University of Tennesse Knoxville, and I am doing a precedent study on the Baths. I had a few questions about the building.
First, in studying the plans and sections we thought that one idea of this project was a kind of "carving out" of the mountainside. We aren't sure, any opinions on this would be greatly appreciated.
Also, we were wondering if there was a specific way one is supposed to circulate through the Baths.
Can you read how the seperate smaller baths work as blocks of space to define other spaces from within.
What do the skylights do for this building... are they for circulation?
In the sections, there are extra bodies of water below each of the large pools. What are they for, do they help maintain the temperature of the above pools?
As well as any other information you could offer would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Sarah
smosele2@utk.edu

I think " carving" may be a bit simplistic for the description of the baths siting...it is the new landscape. The hill has been transformed "Carved" like a sculpture is carved from a marble block.

The spa is also all but invisible to the town except for very close up .. The perspective from below obfuscates any one dynamic view of the spa.
This is what makes this building quite unique.. its experience as a building is almost always for inside with no real view of the exterior. So its primary reading is experiential as a sequence of spaces rather than as on object in the landscape.

This definitely adds to the feeling of being hidden away and in the landscape add the fact that you are in the natural stone of the surrounding hills .. the natural temperature and water of the landscape.. its almost sensual overload. But the material rendering in all aspects is subtle and almost uniform. The wet areas and foot prints help guide those that might not be able to readily read the architectural clues and sign posts clearly.

There is a distinct feeling of being on the surface of the hill but in the hill as well. Not a closed cave feeling more like being in/on and part of the landscape .. much like an individual tree in a forest might feel. It actually reminds me of the Meteora hermitages of Greece( near the Bulgarian border) or the Tonto National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/tont/)in the Arizona.
These are more related to carving or emerging from rather than the more subtle act of becoming the landscape.

As for the procession I have attached an early brochure from 2003 that talks about the flow of water into and thru the building as well as some words from Zumthor all of which are absent from subsequent brochures..

The ceiling and floor patterns in concert with the small defining volumes and the aforementioned experiential rendering of space guide your entry around the spa as well as the associate temperatures of the various areas add an undrlying structure to the circulation.. its not as linear as the confined entry procession might suggest. Its more of a circle to which you enter at tangents. Use the square pool with the blue lights above as a "centering" device. Think pinwheel.

You might find the Tiberius Villa Grotto at Sperlonga and other roman baths/ grottos helpful in researching the origins of the desire to have spas in and of teh landscape rather than just depositing oneself 'al fresco' in a natural pool of hot water. (http://foundnews.com/maps/springs/)

image

a

b

c

d

pages 11 describes the way water enters the spa

zipped pdf

Also, we were wondering if there was a specific way one is supposed to circulate through the Baths.

Sarah

You may also want to look at Zumthors previous projects in-particular the roman ruins in Chur. This may inform your research in how a roman idea of spa can filter thru at Therme-vals.

Also the circulation at the Roman ruins shelter is an early "Conducting" device. Zumthor really is able to orchestrate your views /path and experience much more definitively and more readily apparent at the small shelter in Chur (http://kubuildingtech.org/cooltour/gallery/romanruins/index.html)

b

in reference to the floor pattern:

i have been looking for information on how to lay-out tile that is syncopated. does anyone know of a good source?
:wondering

Hi, I go to school with Sarah, and we are partners on this precedent analysis. I just wanted to say that these are some amazying posts and we couldn't gotten where we are with out Swanke and Page. You all are great! -Emma :not worth

We are planning to visit over Easter, thanks for the great insight and inspiration, any further suggestions, or specific things to note there or nearby...

Will try to take a similar speedo spy cam approach, and provide an update.

You can take a look at my web site. There you can take a look on the therm vals work (and also other projects):

www.ultimasreportagens.com

you can also take a look at this movie i made that tries do sum up my experience in vals

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3864647253428924745

I´m an architect but also work as an architectural photographer in Portugal. Thanks!
Fernando Guerra

how come you were allowed to take photos there?

maybe some reporters credentials, he sells picture books...

I did it to publish on a book i was working on.
Since i'm a professional photographer i was given the permit to do it as long as a did not disturb the guests.

As an architect it was more than just good fun as you can imagine.

hey Kevin , you forgot to say PLEASE !:D
The architecture students organize a trip here, and they get reporters credentials for this purpose...

that place is sweet looking. i love the insides the light beams and the water is too cool.

Vals Thermes were one of the best places I visited. I was doubting going there or to visits Peters Zumthor's Saint Benedict little church (I got some pic of the church, as one of my friends went). I was so exited, because at first it wasn't schudeled in the intinerary but I wanted to go!! and also because I made some researchs and papers about the thermes for the university. We spent just a few hours in Vals, and just 2 hours in the thermes, teachers told us not to go in big groups cause swiss get afraid easily... :confused: I didn´t like the entrance from the outside (I've been told that there's another one from the hotel, but i'm not sure about it...) it looks the entrace of place you go to meet your friends and get some drinks :D

The photo I add is from the change room... (You know students love to break rules...) I got some more from the interior, but my friends is in it, and I thinks she wouldn't like to found her photo on the net...

...it's at the end of the world! :rolleyes:

It's perfect except only one thing!
I don't understand that Peter don't think of that!
Stones edges of stairs are not "rounding polish" so it's some dangerous for your feet under the water !!! :mad:

Another trick
Don't go in the hotels including the baths (very expensive and uggly facade :eek: ) but just the one on the other side of the road! ;)
(it has also private swimming, sauna, etc..)
hotel Rovanada (http://www.rovanada.ch/):cheers:
you can see it when you are relaxing on the wood chaise lounge after your perfumed diping (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11816&postcount=29) :D
Astonished contrast view isn't it?:D

Another trick
Don't go in the hotels including the baths (very expensive and uggly facade :eek: ) but just the one on the other side of the road! ;)

except you can't use the baths in the morning which is the best time.
also it includes going to the baths at least twice if you are staying only one night, which adds up to more than 50CHF anyway (read my fist posts)

except you can't use the baths in the morning which is the best time
You can use bath at any moment from 11 hours (sun is just at the good place for the extern swimming) just make an Internet reservation some many times ago ;)

Great post! In viewing the documentary, I realized just how much more this building really was. The individual units coming together to forma whole, the 15cm modular in the native stone construction which gives a varying appearance, the hidden nooks, the use of light, smell, sound, touch and even taste in one area. This must really be quite an experience.

This must really be quite an experience

But prepare you to make a long way travel road to access it :)

hmm... German hip-hop

check out this video of this German hip-hop track, filmed at Therme Vals at night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRvM2KKDeGA

Cool :D ! But not german... actually its a language called RUMANTSCH (http://www.liarumantscha.ch/Geografia_linguistica.352.0.html), spoken in switzerland... a kind of mix between german, italian, french...

Cool :D ! But not german... actually its a language called RUMANTSCH (http://www.liarumantscha.ch/Geografia_linguistica.352.0.html), spoken in switzerland... a kind of mix between german, italian, french...

Cool, funny the italian similarities, though I did not understand a thing, oh well, much like spanish hip hop...

ahh, so that's Romansch! That's what they speak at Vals... very confusing
So I guess it's appropriate that it is actually filmed in one of the most famous building of the area

:rock on: Superb :clap:
Cool language, that Reto-Romaans. :cool:

Meanwhile here's the KMZ.

KMZ updated. Whole of Switzerland is now in high res. The image of the bath seems to be still under construction, interesting image albeit a bit blurry. Pretty spectacular location and resolution, that's for sure!

Sorry I missed this the first time around... Another great series, Kevin!:craqueur:

This project seems to truly epitomize phenomenology in architecture. Sight, touch, sound, scent, and taste - it has them all!!!:eek: I'm curious, after looking through the photos, that it may even beckon a sixth sense.:P

I am drawn, especially to the way the massing is pushed and pulled so cleanly. It is a natural rock formation sculpted at right angles and perpendicularities.

Objectively, from photos the building appears somewhat heavy and dark. One gets the sense, however, that Zumthor carefully considers these attributes as virtues, creating interlocking spaces that are both protective and centering.

I am envious. Congrats on an amazing trip!

superb report, thanks a lot for going to these great lengths with the pantscam and for reposting it.


from the discussions about this building in the press i got the impression that some of it awesome character was spoiled by the noise level due to all the hard surfaces...how was your impression?

I'm trying to figure out which parts of the baths are actually out side. Is it only the two main baths that are exposed to the exterior spaces of this building or are there other spaces that weave in and out? But most importantly I think the circulation of this building is really great.

Hello everyone,

This is my first post, so be gentle! Lol. You guys are doing a great job on here. Ive found great things. I was wondering if anyone has any construction drawings for the therme vals a construction section of some sort would be fantastic. Anyways if anyone can help would be great.

Thanks:rock on:

I'm an architecture Student at the University of Minnesota. I'm writing a paper and doing a project on the Therme Vals and I just wanted to say thanks to everyone all these post made my work a lot easier and that German music video was just the cherry on top of it all!! Thanks again!!