A minimalist sauna design, idyllically located at the water’s edge on an island in the Stockholm Archipelago, is the latest addition to a complex that will eventually include a home, wellness areas and a guest house. Designed by the Italian-born, Sweden-based architect Matteo Foresti for a private client, the sauna sits between two rocky hills, a few metres up from the water, on a small, flat area covered in soil and low planting.
‘My main concern was to find the optimal place for the sauna and preserve the beauty of this pristine site,’ says Foresti. ‘On the one hand, we wanted to find a place close to the water, with a beautiful view and the perfect sunlight (facing the sunset), and on the other hand, we really wanted to minimize the impact of a building in the landscape.’ The sauna’s light timber construction, with a heat-treated pine frame and exterior skin and aspen wood interiors, was placed lightly on the ground, avoiding expensive and invasive foundations on the rocky landscape.
The all-wood interior of the sauna
The building is reasonably small – just 15 sq m – as is often the tradition in its typology. Foresti allowed the simple structure of the typical Nordic sauna to guide his design, keeping this piece of architecture compact and functional. Minimalist interiors and a large glazed façade overlooking the water focus the eye on the natural context and the sauna experience. ‘Our main goal was to find the right proportions, the right scale and material rather than “invent” something new,’ says the architect. ‘A humble, small and simple volume to enjoy a sauna and the beautiful view.’
The small scale of the scheme was a particularly attractive challenge for Foresti, who had worked on private saunas before and relished the chance to work on the more ‘human’ dimensions such a project offered. He also appreciated the speed and immediacy of the construction (‘It gives us the opportunity to test new solutions and ideas,’ he says), while the natural beauty of the environment was another key draw in this commission. ‘[It is] a privilege that also entails a responsibility to cohabit and respect the surroundings,’ he adds.
Set on the rocky outcrop the minimalist sauna design is orientated towards the sea
INFORMATION
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bagPaco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streetsOn the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealedCharli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globeModernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; here, we explore the genre by continent
-
Cabin Kiladalen in Sweden takes architectural reuse to the next levelCabin Kiladalen by Vardehaugen started its life in an Oslo exhibition, but has now found a second life as a Swedish lakeside retreat
-
Vemdalen Villas brings contemporary minimalism to the skiing experienceThe family of dwellings at Vemdalen Villas, designed by architecture studio Hesselbrand, creates a contemporary skiing experience in the Swedish countryside
-
Tour Hallen, architect Åsa Hjort’s minimalist Swedish homeHallen by Åsa Hjort is a minimalist home in the Swedish countryside, making the most of its serene, leafy location
-
Minimalist architecture: homes that inspire calmThese examples of minimalist architecture place life in the foreground – clutter is demoted; joy promoted
-
The finest brutalist architecture in London and beyondFor some of the world's finest brutalist architecture in London and beyond, scroll below. Can’t get enough of brutalism? Neither can we.
-
The iconic British house: key examples exploredNew book ‘The Iconic British House’ by Dominic Bradbury explores the country’s best residential examples since 1900
-
Loyle Carner’s Reading Festival 2023 stage presents spatial storytelling at its finestWe talk to Loyle Carner and The Unlimited Dreams Company (UDC) about the musical artist’s stage set design for Reading Festival 2023
