Seaside Sauna Staggers Over Norwegian Landscape
Imagine whiling away an afternoon relaxing in a beautiful location like this. Located in Kleivan, an abandoned fishing village in Norway, The Bands not only overlook a stunning landscape but host a sauna, hot tub, rest area and a barbeque terrace.
The ribbon-like design emerges from the rocks and leads off to different relaxation areas, containing all of the facilities in a folding system of three bands.
The sauna is created by the rising of the bands that move independently, creating shifts and offsets to invite in light.
Natural light floods the larch-lined interior of the sauna through clerestory windows made of translucent polycarbonate plastic. Glazing at the end wall frames views of the beautiful Norwegian mountains.
After wrapping the sauna, the bands form the main terrace, splitting into a table and benches with integrated barbeque.
For those that fancy a spot of fishing after their sauna, they then continue on to the lowest part of the quay to create a fish-cleaning table with steps leading down to the water at different heights.
The project was designed and built by students from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design’s Scarcity and Creativity Studio (SCS). The design and build studio’s aim is to seek challenging contexts in which local conditions and creativity are employed to make the most of scarce resources. The Bands was constructed in an attempt to convert the abandoned area and we think they deserve a round of design applause.
