No one else has one, so of course you want one. What is it? It's the floating sauna in the middle of Union Bay.
goCstudio ran a KIckstarter campaign to create a floating sauna you can swim to. We wrote about it two years ago when it was just an idea and now efforts by friends, collaborators, makers, and volunteers has created something that is also soon to be recognized with a 2016 National Small Projects award from the American Institute of Architects.
"The purpose of the sauna is to create a place of refuge for locals, to give them a new perspective on their city and provide a space to relax, reflect and reinvigorate out on the water year round."
The sauna cost $25,000 to build and tops out at 24 square feet of sweaty space. At 14’ high and 4,500 pounds, the floating sweatbox can be seen regularly on Lake Union and Lake Washington, powered by an electric trolling motor with (3) 12-volt batteries and heated by a wood burning stove. If you see it, swim, paddle, or row, but don't walk or drive to it. The idea is to use the water to reach the space, acknowledging Seattle's heritage of floating architecture, particularly the floating bridges.
The sauna was designed as part of an international competition inspired by the new 520 bridge. Up to six people can use it at a time. There's also a deck for lounging. In classic Scandinavian tradition, a post-sauna cold water plunge is readily available by a dunk in the lake. For a more dramatic version, use the diving board so you can emphatically cool off (and probably gasp.)
All due credit goes to architects Jon Gentry AIA and Aimée O'Carroll ARB as well as engineers Kevin Winner and Swenson Say Faget.
Now that there's one, will there be more? An interesting option for waterfront homes that somehow ran out of space.
· wa_sauna [goCstudio]
· Hey Seattle, How About A Floating Sauna In Union Bay? [CS]