Today we do not bring a pool but is just as refreshing. During the summer months this floating sauna tour the Lake Union, near Seattle, to bring heat and water to the community. A point of peace and contemplation around water and fire.
The American study goCstudio has made this project with community support and local architects. Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign got the necessary funding. The sauna consists of a floating raft in a small cabin for 6 people rests. Provides berthing space for rowers and allows the entry and exit of swimmers from the lake.
 

Description of the project by goCstudio

Project Description
wa_sauna is a sauna designed and built to be used on Seattle’s lakes year-round. It is a privately owned vessel that can accommodate up to 6 people. The vessel is powered by an electric motor and heated by a wood-burning stove. The lake serves as a natural cold plunge after heating up in the sauna. Moored at the north end of Lake Union, wa_sauna typically takes a 2-3 hour round trip around the lake. 

Following the Scandinavian tradition of saunas as a place for gathering, wa_sauna provides a place for Seattle’s community to share a unique experience on the water. goCstudio will be programming events involving wa_sauna over the spring and summer months of 2016.

Project Story
The idea for the floating sauna was born in a cold and wet winter. Combining our love of the water, the relaxing dry heat of saunas, and floating structures, the project began to take shape. We focused on primal concepts of fire, water, and community. We were searching for a way to engage the water surrounding our city, enticing visitors onto the lakes year-round. We called this project ‘wa_sauna’ and felt it would be a welcome addition to the Pacific Northwest landscape and its adventurous people. 

wa_sauna engages the ideas of journey and discovery; creating a unique experience and refuge on the water that offers a different perspective on the landscape. Boaters and kayakers can venture out and tie off to the surrounding deck, allowing for the sauna tradition to take place on Seattle’s lakes.

The project was funded through the support of the local community and a crowdfunding campaign. In the same spirit of crowdfunding wa_sauna, the project was built by our studio and a team of talented volunteers, all with close connections to the architecture community and unique construction skills. We generously donated a large space in the production warehouse of Hilliard’s Beer for the fabrication of wa_sauna.

Manoeuvring a 14’ high, 4,500lb structure from the warehouse to the public boat ramp and into the water was a challenging process. Towed on 6 steel casters with a 1980 VW Vanagon, we slowly crept along at dawn making the 8-block trip to the boat ramp in just under 3 hours. The contrast of steel casters on rough gravel and pavement to the feeling of this structure gently floating was the most exciting moment of the build process.

wa_sauna can now be seen regularly on Lake Union and Lake Washington. The sauna is a registered vessel, powered by an electric trolling motor with (3) 12-volt batteries and heated by a wood-burning stove. Quietly exploring the lakes, wa_sauna allows users to find peace and quiet in the warmth of the sauna, with endless unique views of Seattle and the sounds of the fire crackling and the gentle water around them.

Read more
Read less

More information

Label
Architects
Text
GO'C. Jon Gentry y Aimée O’Carroll.
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Walls and Ceiling
Text
T&G Spruce
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Duckboard and benches
Text
Spruce
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
Label
Photography
Text
Kevin Scott.
+ + copy Created with Sketch.
- + copy Created with Sketch.
GO'C. Internationally active Pacific Northwest architectural firm founded by Jon Gentry and Aimée O'Carroll in 2012. GO'C is an award-winning architectural firm inspired by the interplay of rational design and artistic expression. From residential to commercial to public spaces, they thrive on the challenges of site-specific work and find opportunities in constraints.

Jon Gentry co-founded GO’C in 2012 and is a registered architect in the state of Washington. Jon worked for over 8 years with Olson Kundig Architects as a project architect and manager on a number of award-winning private residences and commercial projects. As a partner and designer at Graypants, he worked on custom lighting and furniture products that have been exhibited and sold internationally. Jon completed his studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with a minor in Philosophy and at North Carolina State University where he earned his Master of Architecture degree. Jon believes that architecture, born of a passionate process and inextricably tied to the act of making, can inspire and elevate the everyday.

Aimée O’Carroll co-founded GO’C in 2012 and is a registered architect in the UK. Aimée previously worked on unique private residences with Liddicoat & Goldhill in London and Olson Kundig Architects in Seattle, as well as urban development projects with Stock|Woolstencroft. Building a house for just $20k with Rural Studio has given her hands-on experience in efficient and effective construction which has had a continued influence on her work to date. Aimée completed her studies at the University of Cambridge and the Architectural Association. Nominated for both the Bronze and Silver RIBA President’s medals, her work has been widely published and exhibited in the UK and abroad. Aimée is passionate about design as a collaborative process; as a way to blur the conventional perceptions of what we understand as architecture.
Read more
Published on: July 5, 2016
Cite: "A sauna in the middle of the lake. wa_sauna by GO’C" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/a-sauna-middle-lake-wasauna-goc> ISSN 1139-6415
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...