THERME VALS SWITZERLAND AND MONASTERY AT LA TOURETTE

The Therme Vals is a hotel and spa in one which combines a complete sensory experience
designed by Peter Zumthor, Built over the only thermal springs in the Graubunden Canton in
Switzerland. Peter Zumthor designed the spa/baths which opened in 1996 to pre date the existing
hotel complex. The idea was to create a form of cave or quarry like structure. Working with the
natural surroundings the bath rooms lay below a grass roof structure half buried into the hillside.
The Therme Vals is built from layer upon layer of locally quarried Valser Quarzite slabs. This
stone became the driving inspiration for the design, and is used with great dignity and respect.
This space was designed for visitors to luxuriate and rediscover the ancient benefits of bathing.
The combinations of light and shade, open and enclosed spaces and linear elements make for a
highly sensuous and restorative experience. The underlying informal layout of the internal space
is a carefully modeled path of circulation which leads bathers to certain predetermined points but
lets them explore other areas for themselves. The perspective is always controlled. It either
ensures or denies a view. The meander, as we call it, is a designed negative space between the
blocks, a space that connects everything as it flows throughout the entire building, creating a
peacefully pulsating rhythm. Moving around this space means making discoveries. You are
walking as if in the woods. Everyone there is looking for a path of their own. Peter Zumthor
The fascination for the mystic qualities of a world of stone within the mountain, for darkness and
light, for light reflections on the water or in the steam saturated air, pleasure in the unique
acoustics of the bubbling water in a world of stone, a feeling of warm stones and naked skin, the
ritual of bathing these notions guided the architect. Their intention to work with these
elements, to implement them consciously and to lend them to a special form was there from the
outset. The stone rooms were designed not to compete with the body, but to flatter the human
form (young or old) and give it spaceroom in which to be.

The monastery of La Tourette is Le Corbusiers final building completed in Europe. It was

built to be a self-contained world for a community of silent monks, and to accommodate the
unique and specific lifestyle of the monks, the monastery is made of one hundred individual
cells, a communal library, a refectory, a rooftop cloister, a church, and classrooms. The one
request to the architect by Father Marie-Alain Couturier was that he create a silent dwelling for

one hundred bodies and one hundred hearts. The architecture of Le Corbusier is distinguishable
for its five key elements, which are present in the late Modernist style of the Convent of La
Tourette. The more obvious of these in this specific project are the pilotis, or load-bearing
columns, which line the inside walls and open the facade to long strip windows. The classic grass
rooftops create an architectural promenade, relating back to the Villa Savoye, although the
context of the convent is very different than of the residence. The site was specifically chosen by
Corbusier, as he was drawn to the steeply sloping bank with powerful views. Every one of the
hundred cells features an outward-facing balcony, with communal areas underneath and the
cloister running around the roof. The structural form of the building is reinforced concrete, with
undulating glass surfaces located on three of the four exterior faces. Built as a Chapel, residence
and place of learning for Dominican friars, the monastery groups around a central courtyard a Ushaped mass, and the court is closed off by the chapel at the end. The intention of architect Le
Corbusier was to give the monks what men today need most: silence and peace. Although this
was ultimately achieved, there were still reservations about the size of some of the cells, as well
as the soundproofing and acoustics. Maintenance issues are still very prevalent today, with
cracking concrete, defective insulation, and dangerously installed electricity. Much of the
personality of this building is found in the interior, with the floor-to-ceiling glazing in the public
areas, like the chapter room and refectory with their commanding west-facing views over the
valley, library, and church entrance. The uneven spacing of the vertical concrete mullions and
the similar divisions and uneven spacing of the horizontal components between them were
fashioned according to the Modular system of proportions of Le Corbusier. One of the best
moments of the architectural promenade is the ramp down to the church entrance: an austere,
concrete corridor with uneven yet rhythmic glazing, which leads to a stern metal wall that rotates
to give access to the dark, colored glow to the rest of the church. The interior of the church
reveals a concrete box which is given a spiritual essence through its use of natural light and
strong color, both selectively and carefully placed. Light cannons are created as the five
different types of openings around the church let in daylight, several of which are graciously
sculpted on the exterior. The colors are also present in these openings, which give the church a
warm and vivid glow.