Swimming with a view – the new building of the Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus in Salzburg

A public swimming pool in the heart of the city with treetop views? What seems utopian has been turned into reality in Salzburg with the Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus. Even the location in the heart of the historic city is an indicator of this project’s unique nature. Nestled between the Gründerzeit buildings and the famous Baroque pleasure gardens of Mirabell Palace, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg, the spa park is where pulsating city life intersects with the tranquillity of nature. Ancient, exotic trees shape the character of the grounds, which offer a view of all of Salzburg’s landmarks. The Paracelsus Bad has been located in the grounds since 1956, when it used to be a medical spa as well as a centre for exercise therapy. As it was a child of its time, it was not feasible to integrate today’s requirements for a modern swimming pool and spa facilities into the existing building, so it was decided to construct a new building at the same location.

“The structure has such a unique impact, not least because of the dialogue between the new facilities and its existing surroundings – the Mirabellgarten, the old town and the surrounding mountains. The swimming hall is intended as an extension of the spa garden on the third floor.”

Alfred Berger, architect

The new Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus building not only experiments visually with convention, but does so in structural terms too, as the new building has been designed as a three-dimensional walk-in landscape. The site of the old baths was used to house both the swimming pool with its sauna world and the spa house, resulting in a deep yet compact building. Using the architectural stacking method removed the necessity of costly temporary alternative facilities. This allowed the city to operate the old spa house until construction was completed on the new one.

The new building’s main elements are clearly visible from the outside. A closed plinth forms the structure’s base and contains the public spa building with doctors’ surgeries and separate treatment areas as well as the swimming pool changing rooms. The swimming level opens up on the next level with its generous panoramic glazing, topped by the gastronomic facilities and a spectacular sauna area with outdoor pool and view of the city on the top level. One of the architects’ challenges was the unusual depth of the compact building – up to 35 metres, dictated by the swimming pool requirements.

This has been resolved with the multi-storey foyer, located in the middle of the structure with a generously sweeping staircase leading from the entrance to the bathing level and with natural light pouring in from above. A specially installed light dome has been crafted from the sculpted ceiling above the swimming area, turning it into a spectacular space flooded with light that helps visitors find their way around. In order to keep the central area of the bathing hall free of load bearing columns and walls, an exposed steel structure was developed to carry the load of the ceiling below.

The surrounding floor-to-ceiling glazing with a direct view of the tops of the mature trees creates a feeling of light and openness within the organically shaped space. An acoustic damping slatted ceiling visually supports the undulating movement of the different heights in the area and creates an ever-changing ambience. And on the outside, the building is wrapped in a robe of vertical louvres like a gently rippling protective cover.

“Historic Roman baths were an important source of inspiration in this project’s design.” Berger+Parkkinen Architekten

Historic bathing facilities, on the one hand, inspired the colour and material concept in the interior; on the other hand, the aquatic environment’s colour scheme is reminiscent of seashores, of Sylt, the Adriatic Sea. The changing facilities have a colour scheme ranging from blue to green. This colour palette evocative of water and sea is complemented by the warm, earthy atmosphere created by the lime-coloured tiles. The relatively restrained colour and material concept in the interior enters into a dialogue rich in contrast with the natural spectacle of the surroundings brought into the room by the pool area’s glazing. Ceramic surfaces, water and light characterise the choice of materials for the aquatic environment.

Due to the large number of faucets, several CNX water management systems from CONTI+ were installed in the sanitary facilities located in the changing areas on the ground floor (spa facilities) and second floor (swimming pool). With these control centres, up to 150 showers, washbasin faucets and urinal flush valves can be controlled, monitored and logged via tablet or PC. The standard-compliant application of hygiene functions means the system can comply with the strict standards for drinking water quality in public sanitary facilities. For example, thermal disinfection and sanitary rinsing can be programmed or activated at each point of use (be it a shower or a faucet group) at set intervals and via the calendar function. The central controls can be used to turn off the water once or during predefined operating times when installers or cleaning staff are on site. Faucet parameters such as water running time can be adjusted individually. With the CNX water management system from CONTI+, it has also been possible to optimise water and energy consumption and make effective cost savings. For the showers, the operators chose the adaptive CONGENIAL multifunctional water inlet. This versatile and reliable system for shower room solutions has proven its worth, especially for use in public areas, and is integrated into the CNX water management system. The CONTI+ loopino G10 faucets are used at the washbasins. These electronically controlled faucets use infrared double sensors to enable touch-free operation. In the wellness area, the CONTI+ CONWELL fittings are impressive: the downpour shower with its 16-litre bucket made of top quality iroko ensures a refreshing instant cooldown after a sauna session. The CONWELL Blitzguss kit is the perfect complement for hydrotherapy and Kneipp treatments.

The building management equipment is hidden away from visitors but accounts for one third of the building’s total area. Due to the cramped conditions on the site and the constraints of the building site’s historical context, a system of decentralised technical centres was installed on each floor to provide the highest standards of air conditioning and water treatment. High standards are also at the fore when it comes to sustainability. In addition to state of the art pool technology, the energy concept is geared towards maximum efficiency and renewable energy. The facility was the first indoor swimming pool in Austria to be the subject of a comprehensive sustainability analysis. It was subsequently awarded the highest possible certification by achieving the GOLD standard in the Austrian klimaaktiv criteria catalogue. Furthermore, the Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus stands for accessibility and no barriers to prevent mobility. This building has been carefully planned for everyone and is thus wheelchair accessible.

Project data:
Owner: Stadtgemeinde Salzburg, KKTB Kongress, Kurhaus & Tourismusbetriebe Salzburg
Operator: Tourismus Salzburg GmbH (TSG)
Architect/design engineer: Berger+Parkkinen Architekten, Vienna
Completion: 2019
Areas: Building plot: 5072 m²
Gross floor area: 14,208 m²
Usable area: 11,817 m²
Certification: klimaaktiv GOLD, 2019

Awards:
Architekturpreis Land Salzburg 2020, winner
Fiabci Prix d’Excellence 2020, finalist
BigSee Tourism Design Award 2020, winner
The Plan Award 2020, Honourable Mention

Products used:

• CONTI+ CNX water management systems
• CONTI+ loopino washbasin faucets
• CONGENIAL concealed showers with piezo pushbuttons
• CONWELL Blitzguss kits
• CONWELL bucket downpour showers

Photos
Photographer: Christian Richters
Copyright: CONTI+

Contact for queries:
Puls PR | Melanie Prüsch
Wurster Str. 141 | 27580 Bremerhaven | Germany
T: +49 471 4838 9895 | M: +49 179 7632 399
E: m.pruesch(at)puls-pr.de