Wibke Braeunlich

The water edge

Comparable to the flints in a brook, the Swedish Archipelago lies in front of the actual country. It looks as if the water could slosh away over it, withdraw itself again and leave its tracks, nevertheless. There is no definite, continuous boundary between water and country. At best, an area can be defined, which can be considered as transition.

Landscape

In this Archipelago landscape the Islandgroup Fjaederholmerna is situated. The island, on which the bath house is to be built, is very small. Meagreness of vegetation and rounded off granite as well as their transition into the water shape its character.

Handling the island

The island is not to be damaged or processed, instead a base pulls itself -rock adapted- over the soil and thus touches the island at the dividing line. The substantial soil responds once more to mass.

Bath house

In the building one moves through this artificially formed landscape. The material can be experienced through the senses: skin, foot and eye. Bathing can take place in various ways: in the bathing areas individually and introvert, in the intermediate areas together with others. The basins are small and of various depths. You can either pass through them or withdraw in the night bath, light bath, music bath, warm gravel, heated steel plates, alternating hot and cold baths, tranquility space, whirlpool bath, to the single tubs, the reek sauna and the underwater basin.

Light

Light plays an important role in the bath house. The winters in Sweden are long and dark. In the light hours the space is flooded by vague light, while in the darkness artificial light from the basin inside lights up the space by the water. The transparent thermal insulation and shadings above from different materials let unreal pictures at walls and ceiling develop.

Tendency

Time has a slower rhythm in the bath house. It is a place where you can withdraw from restlessness, from the work and leisure stress of the living city, the landscape and find peace: Peace with oneself. A place for meditation, relaxation and leisure.

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