Floating Sauna Tromsø Harbour, Tromsø Leisure Facility Norway, Norwegian Timber Architecture Images

Floating Sauna in Tromsø Harbour

post updated 10 February 2024

Design: Skapa Architects

Location: Tromsø Harbour, Troms county, Northern Norway

Photos by David Jensen

27 Jan 2021

Floating Sauna, Norway

Located in the middle of Tromsø Harbour in Norway, a luxury Floating Sauna offers visitors a chance to relax and enjoy unique views of the Northern Lights. Elegantly adorning the stunning coastline of Tromsø, the architects and designers of the impressive project selected Kebony wood, a global leader in the production of sustainable wood, for the exterior façade, and both the roof and ocean terrace decking, contributing to the striking appearance of the sauna.

Handcrafted furniture company Ekte, sauna specialists Pust and Skapa Architects worked through various challenges over the past year to create the floating masterpiece which is seen by locals and visitors as a space to breathe, disconnect from the world whilst connecting with each other.

Over 2,000 metres of Kebony Character was used for the external cladding, the decking, both on the roof and ocean terrace, and most uniquely for the shingled cladding around the entrance to the sauna. Kebony was the perfect choice for the unique project as it complements both the structural design and the natural arctic surroundings of North Norway, whilst requiring little maintenance. In addition, Kebony wood will develop a silver-grey patina as it ages, helping the sauna achieve its goal of displaying a weathered aesthetic over time, without losing any dimensional strength.

Commenting on the popularity of the Tromsø Sauna, Kim Daniel Arthur at Ekte stated,“Seeing people enjoying the Northern Lights whilst relaxing in the sauna, or daring themselves to a dip in the arctic sea is such a rewarding feeling. To imagine that we built something that gives people a joyful escape, a little oasis in the middle of the town, is amazing!”

Erik Stange Ankre at Pust, continues,“The public has really embraced the sauna and made it a part of their daily lives. People come at all hours of the day: either for a morning swim, a lunch time bath or a night time session as late as10pm.The supreme finish provided by Ekte has really made the sauna feel like a little bit of everyday luxury for the people of Tromsø, andof course, the beautiful Kebony makes it stand out as well.”

An intense and collaborative project was run in building a sauna, where the lines between customer and provider were almost non-existent, with customers themselves making and installing over 1,000 shingles from Kebony Character in order to achieve the desired final appearance. Due to extensive planning and support from Kebony, and the other partners involved, the challenges of building a weather-resistant outdoor floating sauna were minimised and all project goals and timelines were met.

Commenting on the use of Kebony, Ekte added,“Working with Kebony, on short timelines, was a smooth experience where we got both technical help and inspiration from their previous projects. We are thrilled with how the project has turned out and look forward to working with Kebony again in the future!”

Developed in Norway, Kebony’s revolutionary technology is an environmentally friendly process which modifies sustainably sourced softwoods by heating the wood with furfuryl alcohol – an agricultural by-product. By polymerising the wood’s cell wall, the softwoods permanently take on the attributes of tropical hardwood including high durability, hardness, and dimensional stability. Kebony’s uniquely natural aesthetic and sustainable credentials were perfectly suited to realise the ambition of the challenging floating sauna.

Design: Skapa Architects

Image Credits: David Jensen

Floating Sauna, Tromsø Harbour images / information received 270121 from Skapa Architects

Location: Tromsø, Norway, northern Europe

Floating Saunas

Contemporary Floating Sauna Architecture – architectural selection below:

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

photo : Mari Hunt
Floating Sauna in Soomaa Forests

Floating Sauna, Hardangerfjord, Norway
Design: Casagrande & Rintala

photo courtesy of architects office
Floating Sauna Norway – Hardangerfjord Building
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.