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Collection by Nadja Sayej

Inside This Modern Tower Is an Idyllic One-Man Sauna

Münster-based firm Modulorbeat recently built a one-man sauna on an abandoned steel factory site as part of a year-long festival exploring the economic uncertainty of the region surrounding Bochum, Germany, a former industrial hotbed. The 25-foot-high tower is made from stacked precast concrete units. With three floors and a lounge deck, the compact unit includes a plunge pool, a sauna, and what the firm calls a relaxation room on the top, offering a stunning view of the sky.

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The slim, 25-foot-high tower adds up to a mere 140 square feet, spread out over three levels.
The slim, 25-foot-high tower adds up to a mere 140 square feet, spread out over three levels.
Visitors are meant to progress from level to level at their leisure. “The ritual of the sauna is going into the sauna box, jumping into the cold water, and then relaxing,” says Kampshoff. “All concrete elements are simply stacked on another and there is a gap of light between each one, offering breathing space.”
Visitors are meant to progress from level to level at their leisure. “The ritual of the sauna is going into the sauna box, jumping into the cold water, and then relaxing,” says Kampshoff. “All concrete elements are simply stacked on another and there is a gap of light between each one, offering breathing space.”
Visitors climb from level to level via a retractable steel ladder, which begins at the ground-floor plunge pool. The architects used industrial materials like steel and concrete throughout to "keep it raw,” according to Kampshoff.
Visitors climb from level to level via a retractable steel ladder, which begins at the ground-floor plunge pool. The architects used industrial materials like steel and concrete throughout to "keep it raw,” according to Kampshoff.
On the second floor lies a timber wood sauna with two-level seating. “The sauna box itself was custom and pre-fabricated,” says Kampshoff.
On the second floor lies a timber wood sauna with two-level seating. “The sauna box itself was custom and pre-fabricated,” says Kampshoff.
The top level contains a wood lounge with a retractable roof.
The top level contains a wood lounge with a retractable roof.
One can climb up another ladder, built into the concrete walls, to get a view of the surrounding landscape. “The stairs are the typical kind of stairs you use in shaft buildings,” says Kampshoff. “It fits well with the rough appearance of the building.”
One can climb up another ladder, built into the concrete walls, to get a view of the surrounding landscape. “The stairs are the typical kind of stairs you use in shaft buildings,” says Kampshoff. “It fits well with the rough appearance of the building.”
The view from the top of the tower. “Work is leaving our region and we have a huge area that we don’t know how to develop,” says Kampshoff. “If you look into the history of work in this region, we always had big companies. It’s all disappeared. We came up with the idea of how we deal with these work sites. The sauna is the opposite of work—it’s relaxing."
The view from the top of the tower. “Work is leaving our region and we have a huge area that we don’t know how to develop,” says Kampshoff. “If you look into the history of work in this region, we always had big companies. It’s all disappeared. We came up with the idea of how we deal with these work sites. The sauna is the opposite of work—it’s relaxing."