Trosten Floating Sauna

Two years after the inauguration of the Munch Museum in Oslo, Estudio Herreros has completed in the same city "Trosten", a small project in the form of an architectural manifesto. It is a Floating Sauna that responds to a commission from the non-profit Oslo Sauna Association and their vision of "bringing steam to the people". Following the architectural tradition of object-pavilions, the project proposes a distinctive volumetry with a strong, colorful component that offers itself as a point of individual and collective use, of retreat and contemplation at the foot of the Munch Museum. The program unfolds in the steam cabin, with its terrace directly overlooking the water and the amphitheater facing the fjord, which allows for the celebration of small events.
The construction merges sustainable design through an ambitious energy system that guarantees constant heat on all levels; responsible materiality that includes the use of natural and recycled materials; and social inclusion as it is the first universally accessible sauna thanks to its steam recirculation system that facilitates wheelchair use from the lower step of the grandstand.
The volume is the most significant and visible piece of the interesting cluster of floating saunas designed by different architects at the mouth of the Akerselva River. This village of saunas dissolves the boundary between solid ground and the fjord water while being part of the Harbour Promenade, which emerged after the disappearance of the historic container port and now offers 7km of public space, including walking, jogging, and cycling circuits, relaxation areas, beaches, sun decks, and bathing platforms active throughout the year.
Trosten is an architectural instrument that slows down time. It is an observatory from which to understand the city and its ecology and connect with realities and phenomena that go beyond a healthy practice. Its name corresponds in Norwegian to the Thrush bird that migrates yearly between Spain and the Nordic countries and whose arrival traditionally marks a sign of good luck. This idea that a small amount of architecture can impact a constellation of global issues reminds us that we cannot miss any opportunity to send messages that can be understood by all regarding the fragility of our planet.
The proposal has an important experimental component that begins with assembling the wooden structure in a dry dock on the city's outskirts before installing it on the prefabricated concrete floating platform where the enclosures and interiors were completed. The towing and fixing of its destination complete a cycle that has avoided disturbing the everyday tranquility of the sauna village. On the other hand, the project contributes to decarbonization and the reduction of environmental impact through the use of certified wood, the rescue and reuse of aluminum waste in the facades, and large terrazzo tiles manufactured under the Green Label certification that provide thermal inertia to the whole.