One Man Sauna By Modulorbeat
June marks the beginning of the winter season, so we thought we’d heat things up a bit by featuring the One Man Sauna project by German architecture collective Modulorbeat. Situated on the site of an abandoned factory in Bochum, Germany, the sauna was created for an annual arts festival, but also forms part of a larger project called Borderlands which examines the use of spaces on the outskirts of Bochum . . .
The firm developed the idea of a vertical shaft as an inverted representation of what is hidden below ground throughout the Bochum region. A tower of stacked concrete components — usually used for mine shafts — makes up the sauna’s structure, and pays homage to the many coal and steel mines that once occupied the region. The tower is arranged into three distinct zones or floors that can be accessed by internal and external ladders.
The ground level consists of a plunge pool made from a standard waterproofed concrete shaft section, while the central level houses the electrically-heated sauna contained in a wooden shell with a transparent plastic roof. The upper level features a relaxation area that is complemented by a translucent roof which can be opened to provide views of the sky.
At the end of the festival the One Man Sauna will be dismantled and moved to a new location, but you can marvel at its uniqueness any time you please by checking out the Modulorbeat website.
