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7132 Therme
· Switzerland
Thermal Resorts
Photo: Official website · 7132.com
Better known as Therme Vals, Peter Zumthor's stone bathing complex makes thermal water, acoustics and carefully controlled light the central experience. It operates within the 7132 hotel destination.
The Story
Origin
The thermal baths opened in 1996, designed by Peter Zumthor for the existing spa destination in Vals. They are now operated under the 7132 identity.
Philosophy
The experience centres on bathing and sensory attention rather than a medically prescribed wellness programme.
Why Important
A landmark in contemporary spa design and a widely studied example of architecture shaped around bodily experience.
Differentiation
The building itself is the principal attraction, making architecture inseparable from the wellness experience.
Guest Experience
Bathers move between pools and chambers with contrasting temperatures, proportions and sensory conditions.
Design Philosophy
Stone, water, temperature, sound and darkness are composed as an architectural sequence.
Design & Architecture
Lighting
Roof slits and selective openings contrast daylight with deeply shadowed interiors.
Materials
Locally quarried Vals quartzite, concrete and water.
Architecture
A grass-roofed bathing structure embedded in the hillside, organised as a sequence of stone volumes and pools.
Design Language
Monolithic, elemental and sensory.
Interior Design
Bathing chambers use changing scale, temperature and acoustics to create distinct experiences.
