This Translucent, Prefab Sauna Is the Perfect Backyard Addition
Originally built for Melbourne Design Week, this off-grid sauna by Studio Rain is now available for purchase in Australia.
For Melbourne Design Week 2020, Sydney-based art and architecture collective Studio Rain created Atmosphere: A Revival, a sauna installation along the picturesque Yarra River meant to revive bathing culture.
Studio Rain’s 62-square-foot sauna can fit six people. The art and architecture collective looked to "blur the boundaries between personal and public space," wanting bathers to embrace both "intimate social contact and inner stillness."
Courtesy of Studio Rain
Located at The Old Alphington Swimming Pool in Alphington, a Melbourne suburb, the sauna exhibit is a nod to the area’s past as an iconic swimming spot in the 1920s through ’60s.
Drawing inspiration from Scandinavian and Japanese bathing rituals, the off-grid sauna, which fits six people, is intended to promote well-being and connect city dwellers to one another and nature.
The exterior is constructed from cypress pine wood and lightweight polycarbonate.
Courtesy of Studio Rain
"As populations rise and public spaces continue to shrink, levels of anxiety and loneliness are increasing," writes the firm. "The work aims to address these urban symptoms through engaging visitors in an intimate public ritual. Through a heightening of sensory awareness, visitors are invited to explore deeper connections to self, to others, and to nature."
A metal chimney allows heat escape from the sauna's wood stove.
Courtesy of Studio Rain
The 62-square-foot sauna was constructed with a reclaimed cypress pine wood frame, western red cedar seating, and lightweight polycarbonate walls and roof that allow natural light to shine through.
"Traditional materials are combined with more experimental ones so as to play with levels of transparency and obscurity," explains the firm. "Such materials allow the natural environment to have a presence in the space, whilst maintaining an intimate and sacred atmosphere."
A unique door that swivels from the top was designed to prevent heat escape.
Courtesy of Studio Rain
Inside benches were constructed out of western red cedar.
Courtesy of Studio Rain
A traditional, wood-fire stove by Sauna & Steam Australia heats the space to 60 to 80 degrees Celsius (140 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit). Near the stove, walls are made of fiber cement for fire-proofing, and fiber cement flooring is found throughout as well. A low-swivel door was designed to prevent heat escape.
"Heat rises, so saunas typically loose a lot of heat with larger doors," says Studio Rain cofounder Rachel Mackay. "We also like the element of play [the door] brought to the experience, like entering into a cubby house."
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ShopAlthough the pint-sized sauna has a footprint of 62 square feet, tiered benches maximize space.
Courtesy of Studio Rain
For bathers who want to cool off, the sauna’s slanted roof allows rainwater runoff to be captured in a barrel that is then pumped to a bucket shower that is situated on a refurbished diving board on the riverbank.
Designed as a flat-pack system, the sauna can be easily disassembled and transported.
Courtesy of Studio Rain
Designed as a flat-pack system, the saunas can be easily disassembled, packed up, and transported from one location to the next.
"We initially planned for it to travel around Australia to different design weeks and ocean tide pools during winter, but due to the recent pandemic, a public sauna is not on the cards," says Mackay, "which is why we have changed our strategy to instead focus on people who are looking for private, stand-alone saunas for their gardens or on properties attached to cabins."
Rainwater runoff is collected in a bucket.
Courtesy of Studio Rain
The water is then pumped to a bucket shower on the river.
Courtesy of Studio Rain
After creating the sauna prototype, the firm had such a positive response that they have now designed a limited edition of made-to-order saunas in collaboration with design-build firm Fresh Prince. These include the six-person model as well as smaller, two- to four-person saunas. For those who want something special, Studio Rain is designing one-of-a-kind saunas as well.
The bucket shower repurposes an old, refurbished diving board along the riverbank.
Courtesy of Studio Rain
"Once the current crisis is over, we will look back into the idea of it doing different residencies to activate different swimming areas," Mackay adds. "We would also love to talk to local councils about designing permanent public saunas in affiliation with existing swimming facilities. Apart from Bondi Icebergs here in Sydney, outdoor public saunas in beautiful scenic landscapes do not exist in Australia like they do in Scandinavian countries."
A sheet strung up in the trees offers a private place to undress and change into bathing gear.
Courtesy of Studio Rain
"We also think it would be a great way to activate our waters in winter and introduce the ritual of ‘winter bathing’, as it does get cold here in winter, and our water temperatures plummet so people tend not to swim nearly as much," says Mackay.
This exhibition was part of Melbourne Design Week 2020, an initiative of the Victorian Government in collaboration with the National Gallery of Victoria.
Related Reading: Escape to One of These 10 Otherworldly Outdoor Saunas
Project Credits:
Architect: Studio Rain / @studiorain_
Builder/general contractor: Fresh Prince
Stove: Sauna & Steam of Australia
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