Architecture Comes to Life in an Immersive German Installation

Relaxing and unwinding at a spa is kind of a given. That’s what we go there to do. But what about viewing an interactive installation? Pretty strange, right? Well, it turns out that Thermen & Badewelt, a popular spa and wellness facility in Sinsheim, Germany, is actually an ideal setting for the installation Immersive Horizon: Breathing Planet.

Stepping inside, it feels like the architecture is inhaling and exhaling—thanks to research from sensory innovation consultancy White Mirror. The artistic vision for the installation was provided by Marshmallow Laser Feast's artistry and atelier 522's spatial design expertise. The resulting design invites visitors to align their bodies with the planet's natural cycles.

"Our team focused on how the space could genuinely breathe—not just metaphorically, but in a way that allows guests to feel synchronized with the planet’s own rhythms," says Ramy Elnagar, White Mirror's founder. "Our goal was to make the architecture itself a living, breathing organism—one that mirrors and guides human physiology toward calm and coherence."

They used NASA atmospheric wind data to mimic Earth's air circulation. Sensory stimuli and evidence-based breathing patterns guide guest breathing. Mirrored floors and chrome surfaces make guests feel like the boundary between body and space has been removed. Ramy likens the sensation to being "suspended in a kind of infinite horizon."

The innovative, immersive installation blends art, science, and technology. It prompts visitors to slow down, regulate, and connect with themselves, others, and the planet—an experience we could all benefit from these days.

Ramy adds, "I hope people describe it as both deeply soothing and subtly expansive—a reminder, if you like, of how intimately we’re linked to the natural cycles of the planet."

Immersive Horizon is the second chapter in White Mirror's "Experience as Medicine" series, which explores how sensory environments can heal, restore, and recommend. It is on view at Thermen & Badewelt in Sinsheim, Germany.

—Dalene Rovenstine