paracelsusbad salzburg

architectural concept
the basic idea of the client — to position a spa above the treetops of the spa garden, offering a view of the unesco world heritage old town of salzburg — is convincing in terms of public appeal, technically sound, and fascinating within the urban context.

panorama hall
the building is divided into three clearly identifiable parts from the outside: office building, spa house, and panorama bath. a five-story open hall separates the different building sections while simultaneously connecting them horizontally and vertically across all floors, forming the central spatial and circulation element. in urban terms, it creates a visual and physical link between auerspergstrasse and the hofgarten. the hall functions as a large entrance atrium, accessible from both auerspergstrasse and the hofgarten, from which all building areas can be reached. the important vertical connection leading up to the panorama bath is accentuated through open and transparent staircases and elevators situated in the green lobby, turning the vertical movement into a spatial experience.

panorama bath
salzburg’s new attraction — a water landscape above the treetops with panoramic views of the entire city — is designed to be clearly legible as an independent structure that appears to hover above the spa and office building. it confidently asserts its presence while carefully responding to the given height and edge constraints of the surrounding buildings. facing the sun, an embracing shell contains all bathing and wellness activities. this envelope opens to the south with a large, transparent façade that provides a direct view over the spa garden. along its entire length, the bathing and wellness area extends into a wide outdoor terrace — the panorama terrace — offering front-row views of the park. the design creates both shelter and openness, allowing the intimate interior to be flooded with light and nature. under one shared roof, the functional zones are clearly structured: the thermal and leisure areas are acoustically separated while maintaining visual transparency. all major bath and wellness functions are distributed across two floors to avoid long vertical routes. the teaching pool, which also serves as a therapy pool, is located in a separate zone with direct access for spa guests on the dressing room level — providing the necessary privacy between therapists and patients.

panorama café
the gallery-like arrangement of the gastronomy area ensures separate circulation routes for bathers, wellness guests, and external visitors, who can enjoy the attraction of salzburg without entering the bath. the café, located on a cantilevered terrace above the outdoor pool area, offers a magnificent view over the city and becomes one of salzburg’s highlights.

panorama wellness
the wellness area also benefits from its elevated position above the city. a large outdoor terrace landscape with sauna, relaxation pool, and lounging areas provides a unique wellness experience through its panoramic view. the sauna facilities are integrated into the roof landscape rather than exposed on the rooftop. within the wellness interior, no relaxation areas exceed a height of 21.95 meters.

spa house and office building
on either side of the central hall are the two zones: spa house and municipal department 5, each extending over four floors. several two-story winter gardens bring daylight deep into the building, improving orientation, natural ventilation, and passive solar energy use while creating a pleasant indoor climate with water features and trees. they also serve as open communication zones appropriate to a contemporary office and spa environment.

underground parking
a clearly organized one-way system with entry from schwarzstrasse and exit to auerspergstrasse ensures easy navigation and optimal traffic flow. a future connection to the existing hotel garage is also possible.

energy efficiency of the overall concept
to ensure economical operation, a comprehensive building services concept is developed to minimize energy consumption from the outset and to recover expended energy using state-of-the-art technology. the focus lies on designing an energy-optimized building envelope that reduces energy demand through passive solar gain. based on the principle of minimizing energy use, waste heat and wastewater recovery systems are employed to heat the space, pool water, and domestic hot water. load-shedding circuits prevent peak electrical loads. all systems are automatically controlled via advanced ddc technology to enable optimized operation with minimal personnel effort. energy-saving measures include: primary-side return flow utilization of district heating, multiple air reuse (extract air from dry zones and air transfer), high-efficiency heat recovery and heat pump systems, solar thermal panels, night cooling through natural and mechanical ventilation, energy-efficient lighting and led systems, and adaptation of room parameters to passive house standards.

energy efficiency of the bath and spa house
a ventilation unit with two-stage heat recovery exceeding 85% efficiency is used to recover heat from the pool hall and shower exhaust air. by cooling the exhaust air below its dew point, latent heat can be recovered using a central heat pump. the pump’s drive energy also contributes to heat recovery. the combination of heat pump and plate heat exchanger minimizes electrical demand. only the hygienically required amount of fresh air is supplied to the pool hall. waste heat from other zones is also recovered with an efficiency above 80%. wastewater heat from showers is reclaimed via the central heat pump, with a dedicated piping system for separation. a system for reclaiming heat from pool filter backwash water is also implemented using a counterflow heat exchanger with the make-up water, supported by a shared storage basin and variable-speed backwash pumps.

efficient resource management
in addition to reducing primary energy demand, the concept includes controlling energy use through intelligent system management. shower water consumption is limited via timed fittings. digital control systems further reduce energy input. optimized pool water treatment and backwash recovery minimize freshwater consumption, supporting economical operation. for ecological and safety reasons, a chlorine electrolysis system produces disinfectant on-site in required quantities from salt.

ground register
an air well with a brine-operated ground register preconditions the outside air, cooling it in summer and warming it in winter. this leads to more stable indoor temperatures and heating energy savings. the outside air passes through a coarse filter and a heat exchanger connected to the ground register, which acts as a thermal buffer throughout the seasons.

building envelope
a building’s form, envelope, and orientation are key to its energy performance. the new panorama bath salzburg is a compact structure opening generously to the south, with closed, highly insulated façades on all other sides, ensuring high solar gains in winter. the spa and office buildings feature double-skin façades that provide: increased thermal insulation, weather protection for shading elements, passive solar use, preheating of exhaust air, optional natural ventilation, and reduced electrical energy demand. thermal mass is increased through concrete ceilings and walls, and the panorama bath roof structure is made from cross-laminated or solid timber panels. acoustic optimization measures are implemented without compromising thermal activation potential. natural or mechanical night ventilation activates the thermal mass.

prevention of summer overheating
large overhanging roofs, terraces, building projections, and trees shade the expansive glass façades from the high summer sun. highly reflective internal blinds protect against low-angle morning and evening sun.

window ventilation
all rooms can be ventilated naturally during favorable weather conditions, reducing the need for mechanical ventilation.

fire safety and escape routes
the building is classified as fire protection class 5, as the highest escape level is below 22 meters above adjacent ground. only the stepped seating areas of the panorama terrace exceed this height, but since these are outdoor areas with no full fire scenario or smoke risk, they are exempt from classification. the building has four stairwells, each reachable from any interior point within 40 meters. in the pool area, escape routes lead via the terrace, maintaining safe distances from the glass façade. from there, two staircases are accessible. the entire building is constructed in reinforced concrete, with only the roof structure of the bath executed as a lightweight steel and timber assembly.

phasing
the required construction phasing is ensured. after demolition of the existing paracelsus bath, the new spa house including the access hall can be built on the site. the corresponding section of the bath above it will be built simultaneously. after completion and commissioning of the new spa house, the old spa can be demolished, allowing construction of the office building and the remaining part of the bath above it.