Rocky Knob Sauna / GriD Architects

Curated by Paula Pintos
SAUNA • UPPER TRACT, UNITED STATES
Architects : GriD Architects
Area : 67 ft²
Year : 2020
Photographs : Brycen Fischer Photography
Manufacturers : Alt Welding, Bill’s Portable Welding, Elemental Metalworks, MF Fire, MillerMetal Fabrication
Select Furniture Design And Construction Consultant : Ed Leedy
Construction Directors : Adam Read
City : Upper Tract
Country : United States

Textual content description supplied by the architects. On a distant mountain farm, a sequence of rudimentary saunas had been constructed for the reason that late 1970s, every iteration advancing in relative permanence. Sadly, the final utilitarian iteration burned to ashes a quarter-century after the primary. For 15 years the positioning lay dormant, setting the stage for an additional technology to resurrect the religious sanctuary. This time the challenge was reimagined as analysis is pushed design/construct; mixing college students, professionals, and craftsmen, exploring time-tested development methods in addition to new methodologies.

The group additionally researched sauna traditions all through human historical past, the outcomes of which instantly influenced the design, abstractly referencing historic traditions whereas embracing regional farm vernacular. Whereas an asset conceptually, the saunas remoteness was additionally a main problem surrounding the groups’ 10-day sojourn to assemble it. Logistical complexities included getting supplies and provides to the property in addition to bodily working on the web site which sits on the fringe of a small pond.

With out entry to heavy equipment, all features of the work have been accomplished manually or with small energy instruments. Whereas deliberately small and handcrafted, main parts of the design required appreciable technical experience and development functionality, a lot of which was realized by the group on-site. This challenge is actually off-the-grid, naturally lit by the circadian rhythms of the solar and moon. Warmth is maintained utilizing each energetic and passive methods that mix a robustly insulated building envelope and a small, high-efficiency wood-burning range.

The range itself was created in an identical design/construct method, having been the grand prize winner of the U.S. Division of Pure Assets Subsequent Era Wooden Range Design Problem. The siting is purposeful, with the brand new structure positioned instantly on the remnants of scorched earth the place the earlier sauna buildings as soon as stood. By reusing the unique footprint, the brand new structure restricted disturbance to the pure setting whereas being deferential to the historical past of the place.

Moreover, the south-facing absolutely glazed wall, created utilizing a reclaimed bathe door, is shaded from mid-day solar by a deep overhang. Tough-cut lumber was repurposed from earlier buildings on the property, used extensively for the outside cladding, inside partitions, and each inside and exterior benches. Even the brand new dimensional lumber used to forged the board-formed concrete was repurposed as tough framing. The cladding was charred on-site to keep away from petroleum / chemical-based finishes.

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