Competition "Stone Thermae Belzig"

Belzig is a small town embedded in a rural romantic landscape in the South-West of the German capital Berlin with approximately 8000 inhabitants. The town was awarded the predicate as a climatic spa in 1995. As the result of the trove of thermal water in a depth of 780 m dreams woke up to use this for the construction of a thermal bath to raise the attractivity of Belzig and to get the additional title "Bad Belzig".
In 1996 GMA Architects & Engineers won the competition among a great number of architects. The bureau has primarily specialized in the construction of baths and thermae. The start for the realisation was in January 2001. The construction works finished in June 2002. The bath opened for everybody the 8th of June 2002.

Click here to visit the bureau web site

Design Idea

The landscape played the dominant part during the design process. It was a big intention to integrate the thermal bath into the existing structure of the vicinity. In this context the idea for the creation of forms which blur into the landscape was born. The "Findling," a typical stone which is widespread in the area and a witness for the accruement of the geological structure of the town, qualified as a design object. The goal was to obtain a harmony between the surrounding area and the building.