The future well-being of Baden, the most important spa with mineral springs in the country, largely depends on this project, entrusted to the architect by the results of a competition. These springs attracted even the ancient Romans, who founded there the settlement of Aquae Helveticae - "Swiss waters" (it later became Baden). But in the newest historical period, the situation has changed: after the Second World War, the popularity of the resort began to decline, which, since the late 1990s, was aggravated by the fact that the buildings of baths and hotels were dilapidated and no longer corresponded to the tastes of the discerning tourist.
Therefore, it was decided to demolish the existing "baths" on the banks of the Limmat River and replace it with new ones - in a complex with a residential building for 30 apartments. Some of the hotels located nearby are planned to be reconstructed, while others - to be replaced with an office building and a clinic.
But this is the general scope of the plan for the reconstruction of the "bathing district" of Baden, and only its key part was included in the task of the competition: new baths (including a restaurant and a fitness center) and a residential building, which will be located directly on the banks of the Limmat. To make room for construction, the old baths and the Staadhof (both 1960s) will be demolished.
According to Mario Botta, he has never built on the banks of a river, and designing for such a place is an "architect's dream". A distinctive feature of his project is the unification of baths and houses into a single ensemble - both formally and with the help of a new embankment running along the Limmat. They are also connected by the “open palm” motif: both buildings face the water with their bodies resembling fingers in the plan. Gardens and terraces will be created between these ledges, forming a new recreational area. In the ceilings of each "finger" there will be windows that catch the light from the south side.
The division of new structures into separate small volumes with acute-angled ends is Bott's attempt to harmonize them with the historical buildings. In his work, he was guided by an engraving by Matthäus Merian, depicting Baden in the 17th century; gable roofs there still prevail in the urban landscape.
