A building’s relationship with its occupant is usually very close. For this analysis, I selected the Therme Vals created by Peter Zumthor.
Therme Vals situated in Vals Switzerland has been built over a thermal spring. Therme Vals offers a relaxing and rejuvenating experience for locals and tourists. The building was designed to emphasize the warmth and intimacy of a bath. Vetruvius emphasized in The Ten Books of Architecture the importance of architecture ratios based on human proportions. Le Corbusier’s Le Modular discusses standardization and mass production, while incorporating Vetruvius’ study of proportions into the design. The Therme Vals incorporates these concepts in its design. However, its transitions between rooms and scales and proportions create a calming and relaxing experience for the people. One can see the breathtaking landscape as they move from indoor to outdoor areas. The building is also very private and quiet, as there’s not much that can be seen from outside.
In the ten Architecture textbooks, proportion is the relationship of the members in a structural unit. The Therme-Vals facade was designed carefully to consider the window proportions. The upper floors of the structure have four massive windows with a sky view and a large opening. The outdoor pool is located here. Zumthor is the architect who wants to create a sense of smallness in relation to the surrounding world. The endless mountains and the sky will make you feel tiny. The Therme vals’ bottommost level is intended to provide a low, enclosed area where you can feel cozy and be close to the walls. Each long corridor has a hot room for relaxation, changing rooms and a small sauna. The interaction between a person and their space is made powerful by this space. The sixteen windows provide a “sneak peek” at the natural world outside. The large outdoor area on top will make you look outwards, while the smaller space below will encourage you to think about yourself.
Le Corbusier also explores human proportions in his book Le Modular. He extends the Vetruvius-inspired measurements and proportions and uses them as the basis for his designs. Le Corbusier insists that all design must be based on the dimensions and proportions of the body. Therme Vals seems to have a huge scale when you walk or drive towards it. In many places, the building is double-height, 178 feet long, and composed of two rectangles which are connected by one side. These proportions, I believe, were made to make people feel small and overwhelmed in an area inspired by nature. While these proportions could be considered when designing to fit the ideal human being, I think that it’s unfair to assume that this ideal is a 6-foot tall man. According to the World’s Average Height of People, this is only five feet eight inches. Le Corbusier may have designed the Therme Vals as a place for people of different heights but it is still questionable from a gender and racial perspective. Vetruvius states that symmetry is the key to good architecture. Zumthor’s facade went against the idea. He arranged the windows and doors not symmetrically but according to each building’s function. The windows are smaller for the private spaces and larger for the public areas. This is my opinion that it’s a better way to deal with design. We must remember that while symmetry may be pleasing to the human eyes, we are not all symmetrical.
Therme Vals has also been able to successfully implement the form following the function principle by modifying its facade. Floor plan is not very symmetrical in the whole structure. However, it does have a layout that has rectangular rooms perpendicular and parallel. This floorplan, which is devoid of repetitions, has a sense rhythm that works for the individual who walks through it. Therme vals is functional from the springwater to the changing rooms, toilets, then stairs. Le Corbusier emphasized his interest in standardization in Le Modulor. Therme Vals allows you to create an endless grid of possibilities. Zumthor’s bath is a cuboid despite its non-compliance with Vetruvius symmetry. It has several different sized rectangular rooms inside. This allows for the space’s functional transitions to be followed while compensating for the lack symmetry. Therme Vals is a perfect example of this idea. First rule – use the free space available on your roof to create a terrace. The hotspring is completely covered in a greenery, so it can maintain its connection with its ground-level site. Corbusier then speaks about the open floor plan which encourages movement in a space. He also mentions the facade, which allows for light to fill the space. The Therme Vals has horizontally dominant windows and all the features that Le Corbusier mentioned.
Zumthor broke one of Le Corbusier’s guidelines, which he had set out to follow in order to achieve mass production. This is an example of a building that has made a bold statement. Le Corbusier argues that a building must be elevated from the earth to allow for more garden. Therme Vals, on the other hand, has half its structure embedded in the ground and caressing it landscape. In order to achieve the goal of providing a feeling of warmth, security, and relaxation for the individual, the building creates a small niche within the Earth’s surface. This allows the people living inside the building to remain in contact with the natural world. The openness of the tall building could cause people to feel scared, as they would not be able enjoy the space and breezes without fear. The design allows for privacy and openness, two concepts that are difficult to combine. This design is a solution to the problem of creating a private space within a public setting.
Peter Zumthor’s personal style is evident in Therme Vals. He has also adhered to established rules and concepts that have proven themselves over years of practice and testing. The building uses these guidelines to create beauty, while also keeping in mind its purpose, location, and people who will be using this space. It breaks rules like symmetry, the golden proportions, and raised buildings to create a rhythm that is in harmony with its slopes and functions. It uses scale and proportions in a similar way to how the landscape outside affects our perception of size and proportion. This keeps us close to nature. Le Corbusier, Vetruvius and other designers have set guidelines for design that we should always follow. Peter Zumthor developed Therme Vals in this way, by understanding these concepts. He then created his style to illustrate how the human form and space interact.
