THE GRADING BUILDING - WELLNESS ARCHITECTURE INSPIRED BY NATURE

The Grading Building reimagines the historic grading structures of Central Europe as a contemporary environment for wellbeing. Developed for Therme Group, the project explores how nature, geometry and architectural design can come together to create an immersive spatial experience.

Organised around a central, dome-lit atrium and pool, the circular structure brings together modular capsules, grading walls and cascading staircases that integrate circulation and seating. Its layered arrangement explores the relationship between light, air, material and movement, drawing inspiration from the atmospheric qualities of traditional grading structures.

Therme Group’s programme evolved during the design process rather than following a fixed room schedule. The studies tested arrangements for bathing and gathering spaces, circulation and optional internal capsules, balancing communal use with more private rooms. They also considered air circulation, adjustable openings, material choices, and planting in response to the humid, salt-rich environment, treating the surrounding landscape as part of the visitor experience.

The design arranges grading walls, modular spaces and cascading staircases around a pool beneath a central dome. Water and daylight shape the atmosphere, while the circular layout creates places to pause and gather.

The circular design also carries forward ideas explored through Catharsis at Burning Man. From a temporary gathering place in the desert to a new interpretation of a historic salt-making structure, the work asks how architecture can bring people together through their surroundings.

The study developed the Hyperbolic Disk pattern through a series of geometric tests. Starting with eight-sided cells, it mapped cell endpoints and average points along edges and curves to generate lines and polylines. Three scale variations were overlaid with the original model and a revised pattern to compare their proportions and relationship with the structural walls.

The geometry was then translated to the building’s radial structure. The process moved from locating centre points and creating a linear pattern to offsetting paths, adjusting and connecting polygons, then scaling them inwards from the centre. Overlay studies revealed clashes between the polygon pattern and radial grid, guiding further adjustments to fit the pattern to the structure.

The experience unfolds through movement, pause and changing perspectives. As visitors move between levels, the patterned grading walls filter daylight and cast shifting shadows across the interior. Reflections from the pool bring subtle movement to the surrounding spaces, while the central pool and dome offer a shared point of orientation.

Visitors can set their own pace: exploring, bathing, pausing to take in the architecture or spending time with others. As the light and activity change through the day, so does the atmosphere. Wellbeing becomes part of the building’s rhythm, shaped by movement, stillness and shared moments.