Public sauna in Helsinki by Avanto Architects

The Finns are a relatively closed nation of cabin-dwellers, whose most famous invention is the sauna, which you can find in almost every Finnish home (apartment or cabin). In the case of the current project by the Avanto studio, the public sauna served as a generator of changes in the harbor in the south of Helsinki, where the current storage and industrial halls on artificial peninsulas are to be replaced by residential development, which is a plan for many years ahead, but the inexpensive wooden sauna building in the middle of the new park can serve as a magnet that attracts the attention of the wider area.
The project by the architectural duo Anu Puustinen and Ville Hara is named Löyly, which translates to "rising steam" or "invisible spirit." The sharply cut geometric shape is composed of more than 4,000 pine boards stacked contour-wise on top of each other. The untreated light wood will gradually gray over time until it merges with the stone waterfront. The sauna is primarily aimed at tourists. It will be accessible to both men and women in swimwear at the same time. The wooden slats prevent curious looks inside, but they do not hinder those using the sauna from having views of the sea. The roof of the building is walkable and serves as an observation platform and spectator stand for planned water sports in the bay. The design also includes a restaurant, whose interior was designed by Joanna Laajisto, as well as a terraced wooden deck cantilevered over the water and stairs leading from the sauna directly into the sea. The sauna is the first Finnish building with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification for sustainable forest management.

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