Les Thermes is a

water park A water park (also waterpark, water world, or aquapark) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming ...

in Strassen and

Bertrange Bertrange (; ; ) is a commune and town in south-western Luxembourg. It is located 6.5 km west of Luxembourg City. , the commune has a population of 8,668, of which just over half are Luxembourgers. People of over 102 different nationaliti ...

, just west of

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

in the

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg ...

. Opened in February 2009, it attracted half a million visitors during its first year and has been named "Most Innovating Waterpark in Europe" by the European Waterpark Association based in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

, Germany."Auszeichnung für 'Les Thermes'"
, ''Luxemburger Wort'', 30 October 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2011.

The complex

The facility consists of a 25 meters swimming pool, two children's pools, wave baths, slides, solarium, sauna and fitness centre. The award was based on its suitability for a wide range of visitors, its striking modern architecture and its well-conceived design uniting the pools, the changing rooms and the fitness centre. Les Thermes, a joint enterprise of the communes of

and Strassen, was built at a cost of EUR 37 million.

Design

After a competition, the firms chosen to design the complex were Witry & Witry, Jim Clemes Architectes and Hermann Valentiny & Associés. Sometimes compared to a spacecraft, the concrete building's shape is the result of its rounded wooden roof coupled with a rounded façade faced with aluminium strips. In addition to stainless steel swimming pools, the fitness and recreation areas are positioned over three levels. Large skylights on the roof ensure maximum use of sunlight in the building.

Awards

At the Luxembourg Bauhärepräis competition in June 2012, Les Thermes was presented with the award for buildings designed for sport."Luxembourg: Récompenser et motiver"
''Le Quotidien'', 27 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thermes, Les Water parks in Luxembourg Amusement parks in Luxembourg 2009 establishments in Luxembourg Amusement parks opened in 2009