Mobile CLT sauna
Sauna culture:
An outdoor sauna, in terms of its size and details, is halfway between a building and a piece of furniture. Sauna bathing is a communal activity close to nature. We see that socially, culturally and economically, functioning in the community means the future, so we consider it important to support this with an architectural tool. Sauna bathing can be a community-forging activity, and can be operated without special infrastructure conditions. Firewood and a nice environment are required, the rest is up to the company. Saunabivak is an architectural product, it can be used in both rural and urban environments.
Character and recycling:
The characteristic part of the building with a floating effect, the four slender legs. This character trait was called for by mobility, because with these legs you can lift the structure off the trailer and adjust its height depending on the terrain, so it is not necessary to use a crane. As intended, they are used by the construction industry as spacers, for slab formwork and concreting. According to construction industry standards, these spacers must be scrapped after a certain number of pours. We rethought these used spacers and used them as legs. The outside of the building is treated with linseed oil by firing, making it resistant to the weather and insects. The sauna has a large, caseless 2-layer glass surface opening in the direction of the view, visually blurring the boundary between built and nature.
Pre-Production:
The sauna is completely prefabricated with millimeter accuracy based on the design plans. Its structural system is made of layer-glued pine CLT panels. The wooden panels are of visible quality, so it is not necessary to make a covering. The building can be heated quickly and, thanks to the layering of the monolithic, it is naturally ventilated, condensation is not a problem in terms of building physics, and it is durable.
Mobility:
The size and weight of the sauna comply with the towing rules of the European road section, so on-site work and obtaining a building permit are not necessary. Due to road size restrictions, no more than 8 people can use our sauna product at the same time. It is installed by two people and takes one hour. The work does not involve construction activities.
photos: Ákos Rajnai
architects: Tamás Máté, Áron Vass-Eysen
graphic design: Gergely Szőke Lukács