"The sauna is a building type as well as a place for purification and social gathering."
This project focuses on the ritual of the sauna and considers light phenomenon, heat, aperture, circulation, tectonics and materiality in order to create an experiential space. The sauna is situated on Fox Point, Providence, Rhode Island near the Seekonk River, an area rich with cultural and historic significance. The design of the sauna incorporates the topography of the site, entrance with respect to the urban landscape, changing rooms, a common area, plunge pool and a heated space.
Drawing of light-water interaction using conte crayon.
Palimpsest Drawing analysing the urban developments and historical events of the Fox Point site. This included economic activity such as trade, changes in railway and road paths as well as natural disasters.
Study Model in a 3/4” scale attempting to understand circulation and distribution of space.
The pathways diverge at the entrance and converge at the theatre like sauna in order to defining the interior sequence of program. The architectural design emphasises the human interactions that could take place while moving through the space and dramatises the relationship shared between a human and its environment, creating the atmosphere of a ritualistic space.
Final Model made at a 1/4” scale portraying the relationship of the sauna to its landscape.
