Katja Bernert
Thalasso therapy centre at Wimereux, France. RWTH Aachen (Germany)
the therapy
escape from day to day hassle
rheumatic pain ... work pressure ...
heavy weights that have to be unloaded in the treatment centre
providing a shelter against the daily stresses
the single therapy unit consists of hierarchically ordered shells that filter out
noise, motion, time ... even space
what is left is a void ... the inner sanctum
the patient gradually gains more privacy ... more solitude
in order to establish a new harmony between physical and mental health
a very individual health hedonism
the void stands for the relaxation through the protective shells on the one hand
and stimulation through the thalasso medium- that is water in all its physical states - on the other hand
the site
the layering of the cliff as an accumulation of shelves of earth that push towards the sea
they are longingly shifting towards the water ... striving for a share of the sea’s infinity, admiring its timelessness
the strength of the horizontal coastline is not to be disturbed
the building only reveals its existence towards the sea
the treatment centre
the building is set into the cliff, offering a solid backing
the same way that shelves of earth stretch towards the sea, some are pushed backwards as to form a hollow in the cliff - here, land and sea merge
the hollow is a flowing space ... in opposition to the actual architectural statements: the voids
continuous space definite space
the hollow is a complementary component of the natural environment
whereas the voids are houses in the palladian sense of the word: perfect geometric bodies
nature architecture
in the thalasso hall the patients will learn to stroll again, to let time pass doing nothing
within the voids, the hierarchical sequence of actions is obviously determinable
deviation determination
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