A bathing pavilion on the Vantaa shoreline, built so the water stays in view from every bench.
The society wanted a public sauna that felt like a private one. We split the program into three small heat rooms around a shared cold porch, each opening to the water.
The whole pavilion is clad in charred spruce, the same timber outside and in, so the building darkens and weathers as one piece.
Client
Vantaa Bathing Society
Location
Helsinki, Finland
Year
2024
Scope
New-build pavilion
Area
180 m²
Status
Completed
Collaborators
Nordvik Engineering
Photography
Studio Void
THE SITE
Building low against a long horizon.
The site is a flat strip of rock between pine and sea. Anything tall would have competed with the view, so the roof stays below the tree line.
We traced the winter ice line before siting the decks. The cold plunge steps straight off the rock, with nothing between bathers and the bay.
“We wanted the heat, the cold and the view to be one continuous ritual.”
Elin Kessler — Founder & Principal Architect
Three materials that welcome heat, water and frost.
Timber
Charred spruce, shou sugi ban
Outside and in. The char resists rot and stays cool to the touch on the decks.
Stone
Local granite
Underfoot at the plunge, rough-cut so wet feet never slip.
Metal
Blackened steel
Stoves, handrails and fixings, left to darken with the steam.
PROCESS
Sketch to site.
01
Sketch
Shoreline studies of wind, ice and winter sun.
02
Plan
Three heat rooms arranged around one cold porch.
03
Render
Timber and steam tested in a full-size mock-up room.
04
Built
Built over two summers, between swimming seasons.