Kunsthaus Art Museum, Bregenz, Austria
Therme Vals, Graubunden, Switzerland
The Kunsthaus Bregenz was planned as a daylight museum. The facade made of translucent glass shingles serves as a skin to diffuse daylight, which first passes through rows of windows and then through the light ceiling panels in the halls. Although the light has been refracted three times (glass facade, insulating glasswork, illuminated ceilings), it illuminates the halls differently depending on the time of day or year. In this way, a natural lighting atmosphere is created although the building has no visible windows (2), which makes it a bright and spacious lantern. The open hallways with polished concrete finish make every single sound to cause echo, dramatizing the busy atmosphere of the gallery and emphasizing the controversial character of modern art exhibited there. The experience a visitor can get in this museum is always unpredictable, since the interior and exterior coexist and redefine each other through the game of constantly changing light conditions.
The unique spa complex in Vals is an acknowledged example of Zumthor’s mastery of manipulations with sensuous materials and atmospheres. This building is a vast symphony of light, acoustic effects, water and stone of different temperatures and textures. The experience of the main hallway and swimming pools is marked by the constant alternation of light and shadow, stone and water, interior and exterior spaces, creating a secluded and almost mystique atmosphere. By using slits in the roofing, Zumthor uses natural light to create a mood within the space and produce a unique visual experience throughout the complex. Each of the enclosed smaller units has a completely different aura, depending on which type of bath it contains. Zumthor creates a sensational experience inside the units establishing a relationship between color and temperature of water. For instance, a very hot steam bath is lit with red, while a cool pool with alpine flowers radiates a blue light. During the bathing, the splashing sounds of water are amplified throughout the space, washing out the boundary between public and intimate components. Natural stone finish on all surfaces changes the temperature and carries the organic theme throughout the spa complex and establishes a dialog between the nature, the user and the site, speaking of the moment of architectural truth present in this design
SOURCE [TOP] http://img689.imageshack.us/ img689/5171/bregenzmuseumanimmmtra1. jpg [RIGHT] http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/ wpcontent/uploads/2009/02/801169555_ outdoor-pool1.jpg
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