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  • 30 May 2023

2023 Dulux Study Tour, Day 7 – Vals: Venerating Peter Zumthor

I remember feeling vividly – Holy shit, I won a place on this tour. I don’t know that I’ve earned this, but I’m going to embrace it. The Institute invited us to nominate places and projects that we would like to visit and now I need to figure out where I would most want to go. Norway’s not on the travel short list, so Steilneset Memorial is off-menu. Well, there’s still the Shelter for Roman Ruins, and that leaf-looking church and of course Therme Vals, which are all in Switzerland, but we’re supposed to be nominating projects in Zurich. Stuff it, just nominate it. Worst case scenario, I’ll go in my own time.

Peter Zumthor’s architecture is what I’d like to show my students when we talk about genus loci, and architecture of place. His material use considers multiple contexts and conditions and the detail resolution executed in construction is beautiful.

Wildflowers at the Shelter for Roman Ruins by Peter Zumthor.

But, you know when you hear so much about something and then the time comes and the thing just doesn’t live up to the expectation? I have a friend who firmly believes that the week leading up to the holiday is better than the holiday itself. Our first stop off on the way to Vals is the Shelter for Roman Ruins. It provided some reassurance that my expect The project was as delicate as the photos and videos suggest, but allowed to age. The greyed exterior was also starting to grow moss. The wildflowers behind the project smelled almost like honey. The bumblebees were so large they were comical. Edwina Brisbane observed that the interior was preserved, the timber wasn’t grey. The purpose of the structure is also evidenced by the structure. Most surprisingly, there were no animals living in the ruins roof structure. I think this disappointed me, but maybe I just miss Australia. 

Saint Benedict Chapel by Peter Zumthor.

Next stop: the Saint Benedict Chapel. There’s a short walk before you get to the chapel. I wanted to talk about the subtle resolution of the structure, about the ageing timber cladding or that the interior walls are painted ply. I wanted to talk about architectural gesture of the entry. In reality, I just really wanted to go for a hike around the mountains or sit and stare at the snow-capped peaks. I think about how different this is to our landscapes, but the gentle wildflowers littering the streetscape feel a little like home. We’ve seen a lot of objects in the landscape on this tour, and something apparent with the first two projects is that they’re of the landscape. Time for the drive to Vals now. 

We arrive at Therme Vals. I sprint to the room, and down to the baths to find the cave-like room that you swim through a tunnel to get to. On the way, memories of exploring caves along the South Coast of New South Wales come back to me. Being led by the light, the architecture subtly directs you where you need to go. Wildflowers peak over the skylights. It’s kind of imperfect, not everything aligns.

Therme Vals by Peter Zumthor.

Alright, found the hot pool, the ice pool, the flower pool, and finally, the cave pool, again. 

The water is more buoyant here, like it has a higher viscosity. You don’t feel that in pictures. Unexpectedly, there’s also a bit of resistance – almost like a light tide. I’m alone, and the room echoes like I had thought it would. Like a sea cave. And in the isolation, the exhaustion of the previous few days and among the discussions we’ve been having as a group, I can’t help but chuckle…

Read more of the 2023 Dulux Study Tour Blog

Dulux Study Tour participants are invited to share their experiences in blog and editorial content as part of the program. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily the Australian Institute of Architects. The Institute encourages a space for conversation and continued dialogue so there can be meaningful change and progress across the built environment and our wider community. 

2024 Dulux Study Tour – Shortlist Announced

23 Oct 2023

30 emerging architects have been shortlisted for the 2024 Institute’s Dulux Study Tour. Five individuals will be selected for their contributions to architectural practice, education, design excellence and community involvement.

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101 Lessons We Learned on the 2023 Dulux Study Tour

8 Jun 2023

It’s been an incredible ten days, filled with visits to more than 50 buildings and meeting with approximately 20 architects across several cities: Helsinki, Lisbon, Vals/Zurich, and Venice. On our

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2023 Dulux Study Tour, day 9 – Venice, four spritzes and a yarn

6 Jun 2023

This year’s Venice Architecture Biennale is titled “The Laboratory of the Future” and, as set out by Biennale curator Lesley Lokko, “architects have a unique opportunity to put forward ambitious

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2023 Dulux Study Tour, day 8 – Zurich: A full cup

30 May 2023

It’s midnight in Vals – a quintessential Swiss mountain village ­– and you’re floating in a warm pool, looking up at the night sky, in a silent night-time bathing experience.

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2023 Dulux Study Tour, Day 6: Lisbon’s ‘foreign object’

29 May 2023

I was pretty sure I won’t like the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) by Amanda Levete Architects, but am trying to be open minded. A big conceptual gesture

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2023 Dulux Study Tour, Day 5 – Lisbon: Beyond the fresco

28 May 2023

I’ve just spent the last hour and three watery coffees drawing out mind map in an attempt to untangle the many threads of thought covered yesterday. We ping-ponged across Lisbon

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Yellow tinted concrete walls stabilise the 1840s stonewalls. Careful insertions illuminate the ruins and provide services to enable performances.

2023 Dulux Study Tour, day 4 – Lisbon: Urban Alchemy

27 May 2023

Lisbon is a living museum – a city that reveals a rich tapestry of historical and political aspirations through its architecture. Layers of time coexist in the stratum of the

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2023 Dulux Study Tour, day 3 – Helsinki: “Between humanism and materialism”

25 May 2023

I’ve always thought that people who cried at architecture took their job way too seriously… but I must confess I had a little moment standing in the Aalto House today.

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2023 Dulux Study Tour, day 2 – Helsinki: ’Sing like a choir’

24 May 2023

Day 1, we situated ourselves in the city of Helsinki. We passed through various shades of grape, an unconscious obsession of the city, all the textures imaginable and 100 different

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2023 Dulux Study Tour, day 1 – Helsinki: Architecture in Helsinki: Contact High

23 May 2023

Finish your emails, set your out of office. Quickly flick off a fee proposal and remember to get back to Jamie about that competition entry you can’t submit. Apologise to

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The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.

We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.

We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.

Read our Statement of Support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and Constitutional Recognition and the Voice to Parliament.

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