Aim of the new Grössling complex is that of creating an open house centre where people could gather together and chilling out, but also isolate themselves and concentrate. The different functions are intertwined in a unitarian project, in order to emphasize the feeling of being in an iconic building with its own history. Bath and library interact, but paths and entrances are organised in a way so that different activities do not interfere with each other, giving the possibility to the users – local residents or tourist – to choose easily their way of experiencing the building.

The ground floor facing the park is the most public and interactive part of the building: here are located the café, the welcoming-desk of the library, the kids’ area and the reading corner for the daily press and the latest publications. The core of the building is the bath with its historical and new pools. The latter are located in the physical hearth of the complex, and the indoor one reuses the space of the “Schwimmbad für Damen” of 1914, and part of the outdoor one recalls the footprint of the small pools at different temperatures. The library, which has an overall capacity of 70.000 books, is organised on three levels: the first two are the most interactive ones while moving up the atmosphere becomes quieter; on the third floor are located also the artists in residence.

The projects aim to create an atmosphere that is respectful of the original building, renovating its Middle-European character by matching together old and new finishes and materials.