10/16/2026
and editor Aidan W Taylor invited our founder Marcos to share his favorite travel destination.
“The Thermal Baths in Vals, Switzerland, is a remarkable building that speaks to me personally and to the ethos of our practice at Alloi. Peter Zumthor embedded the building, completed in 1996, into a hillside beneath a planted roof. Seen from the slope above, the building defers almost entirely to the topography.
The construction of layered Valser quartzite, quarried from the surrounding valley, forms a series of monolithic blocks, each supporting its own cantilevered concrete slab. The slabs stop just short of one another, and the glazed joints invite daylight as narrow, shifting apertures across stone and water. I find Zumthor’s treatment of the interstitial most instructive. The Japanese concept of ma describes the interval between as a condition with its own presence. At Vals, the corridors, thresholds and shadowed edges between volumes are resolved with the same rigor as the principal spaces, and they are just as essential to how the building is experienced.
The building’s exterior reads as quietly prioritizing the interior experience. Each room, with a palatte of warm water, cool stone and filtered light, is tuned for stillness. The architecture is introspective, enticing one into a deep and lasting calm. The building speaks our language and evokes the essence that we pursue at Alloi. Our design language slows the day, sharpens the senses and brings the people to peace.” — Marcos Santa Ana
