Floating Sauna, Hardangerfjord Building, Photo, Norwegian Water Design

Floating Sauna, Norway : Hardangerfjord

Norwegian Marine Architecture design by Rintala Eggertsson Architects

26 Feb 2009

Floating Sauna Hardangerfjord

Norway
Date built: 2002
Design: Casagrande & Rintala

Workshop together with Västlands Kunstakademie, Bergen.

Combining Finnish and Norwegian culture.

Teachers: Sami Rintala, Christel Sverre, Marco Casagrande
Architecture drawings & photos: Sami Rintala

Students: Kristin Lian Berg, Mona Brekke, Simen Dyrhaug, Jenny Therese Eriksson, Mahlet Ogbé Habte, Marja Ristiina Nickel, Ragnhild Ohma, Anne Marte Ruud, Mona Aspen Simonsen, Thomas Aspeland Sivertsen, Elin Solvang, Sverre Strandberg, Karolin Tampere, Sveinung Unneland, Elisabeth Wahlström

function:

Constructed in Hardangerfjord, in Rosendal village during 2 – 13 Sep 2002.

A Finnish sauna room: around 90 C heat is enjoyed, especially in wintertime (-20 C outside) by sitting on wooden benches and throwing water on hot stones on the stove. Sweat and silence, mental purification and physical maintenance. A swim in cold water in between.

Anchored in the middle of the fjord, a level of privacy is maintained for bathers.
Little winter daylight comes through transparent walls. At night sauna shines as a floating lantern. Access with rowing boat only. Descending swimming straight through the floor of water. Using any kind of soap is prohibited due to ecological reasons.

Materials: Norwegian Jötul-oven, plastic walls, pinewood structure, stones, storm oil lantern, old oil barrels

Method: Built on shore and floated on site, anchored.

Floating Sauna – Background
This project is possible to construct due to the warm Gulf-stream meeting the west coast of Norway, keeping the sea ice-free the whole year. In Finland sea is mostly ice-covered from December to April, and this sauna should be lifted ashore in wintertime.

Client: Rosendal Village, Hardangerfjord, Norway
Area: interior 9 m2, total with floating dock 25 m2

Rintala Eggertsson Architects + C-Laboratory

Location: Hardangerfjord, Norway, northern Europe

Another Norwegian floating sauna on e-architect:

Floating Sauna, Tromsø Harbour, Troms county, Northern Norway
Design: Skapa Architects

photo : David Jensen
Floating Sauna Norway

Another European floating sauna on e-architect:

Floating wilderness sauna, Soomaa Forests, Estonia
Design: students with Sami Rintala, Pavle Stamenovic & b210

photo : Mari Hunt
Floating Sauna Soomaa Forests