Salzburg: Design and construction of an outdoor and indoor public swimming pool

Since its inception, the Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus it is a great success not only with visitors but also with architecture experts. outdoor and indoor public pool. Thus, the excellent bathhouse in Salzburg has been honored with several outstanding awards (The International Architecture Award 2021 & IAKS 2021 / Cologne) and has been nominated both for the Austrian Staatspreis Architektur 2021 (awarded by the Ministry of Digitization and Localization of Businesses).

Staatspreis Architektur und Nachhaltigkeit 2021 (awarded by the Ministry of Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology) and the Brick Award 2022. Since its opening, the Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus has been a great success not only among visitors but also among architecture experts.

The International Architecture Awards, presented since 2004 by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design together with European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd. for the best and most important innovations in buildings, landscape architecture and design projects also went this year to BERGER + PARKKINEN for the Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus in Salzburg. The Austrian-Finnish architectural office was thus able to prevail over submissions from 41 nations.

Construction of outdoor and indoor public swimming pool

For more than a decade, Wienerberger AG organizes the international Brick Award every two years, which provides a stage for outstanding brick architecture and its architects. With 789 projects from 53 countries, the 10th Brick Award achieved the highest number of submissions in its history, thus proving the internationality of this architecture award.

The new public bath designed by Berger+Parkkinen Associated Architects highlights the landmarks and mountains of Salzburg and represents a visionary architectural project in the historic city center.

"The extraordinary impact of the building is a result of the dialogue between the new spaces and the existing environment - the baroque gardens known as Mirabellgarten, of the old town and the surrounding mountains. The indoor pool is designed as an extension of the park on the third floor," states architect Alfred Berger.

In terms of urban design, the new Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus is a link between the building structures of the late 19th century Auerspergstraße, the open development along the Schwarzstraße, the landscape of the Kurgarten and the Mirabellgarten. The geometry of the building rotates towards the park, making reference to the geometry of the disappeared fortification walls of the Baroque period.

Swimming & City
The "Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus" designed as a three-dimensional landscape with the building's main elements forming a clearly legible vertical layer. The bathhouse's rather introverted plinths contain the city's health and spa services and the pool's changing rooms over three floors.

The entire roof level, used for their sauna facilities and impressive outdoor pool, offers views across the city. A layer of ceramic blinds surrounds the 'Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus', protecting it from passers-by.

Between these two introverted layers the swimming level it is entirely glass and opens onto the trees of the gardens and the city. This slide highlights the concept of the swimming platform as a complete elevated continuation of the Kurgarten, with unforgettable views of the city, the impressive fortress and the mountain peaks in the background.

Architect Tiina Parkkinen: "In our projects, references to the built environment, the natural environment and the social context are extremely important."
Panoramic view and surrounding countryside

Wide central staircases lead to continuous traffic from the main entrance to the west through the three brick floors to the swimming level. Shining daylight guarantees constant natural lighting. The swimming level features four different pools, from a sports pool to a diving pool, a children's pool and the