Morphosis Chosen for Vals Hotel

John Hill

6. February 2015

Webcam view of Therme Vals, via 7132.com

Morphosis Architects, headed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, has been selected in a competition to design a luxury hotel for 7132 Ltd in Vals, Switzerland, home to Peter Zumthor's Therme Vals.

According to a press release from Morphosis, the firm bested two finalists – Steven Holl Architects from New York and 6a Architects from London – in a competition that involved "eight top international architectural firms." The competition followed SIA standards, with a jury headed by Louisa Hutton of Berlin's Sauerbruch Hutton.

Thom Mayne is quoted in the press release: "We are thrilled about the jury's decision and look forward to working with a visionary client to create a unique design that resonates with this incredible destination in the Alps." For sure, architects will be pondering how Mayne's design will resonate with fellow Pritzker recipient Zumthor's much beloved Therme Vals, a "carved" mass of 60,000 slabs of Vals quartzite. The spa and adjacent hotel are run by 7132 Ltd, which launched the competition in June 2014.

Outside of the fact that the winning proposal features 100 luxury suites, no details on the design are available at this time. Morphosis will unveil the design at an event in March in New York City.