Architecture students from the School of Architecture + Cities at the University of Westminster with tutors Dr David Scott and Francois Girardin joined hands with renowned Finnish architect Sami Rintala, and the Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland, to create a one-of-a-kind sauna. The Finnish sauna was exhibited in Victoria Embankment Gardens in central London, from 30 June until 8 July.
As part of the London Festival of Architecture, visitors could watch the students and recent graduates construct the sauna between 24–30 June, and also had a chance to book a sauna session and try it out themselves. The design of The Finnish Sauna was inspired by the London tube, and its architecture combined traditional sauna and Nordic boat-building methods. The sauna centres on a large-scale build and received generous support from Westminster City Council and from UPM who supplied the Finnish timber used in the project.
The students who helped with the construction are part of Westminster’s Fabrication Lab in the Marylebone Campus. The specialist lab is focused on emerging technologies for architecture and the built environment, while also functions as an experimental centre for teaching, research and knowledge exchange.
Talking about the project, Roberto Lopato Ricorico, student of the Master of Architecture course and Laboratory Assistant at the Fabrication Lab said: “I am really pleased that I was able to work on this project. It was a fantastic opportunity where I could work with great architects such as, Sami Rintala and Remi Groenendijk. I learnt new building methods, manufacturing techniques and systems, applied to timber and sauna construction. Being able to put together such project along with my colleges was one of the best experiences I have ever had.”
This was not the first collaboration with Rintala, who is a visiting professor at Westminster. In 2017 and 2019 the University built two pavilions in Finland in collaboration with the Finnish Institute.
The Finnish Sauna would not have been possible without the support of many organisations and institutions. The main partners were the London Festival of Architecture, Westminster City Council, UPM Timber, Rento, and Harvia. Supporting Partners: The Embassy of Finland in London, Lumene, Kyrö Distillery.
“After building 2 full-size pavilions with Sami Rintala in the wilds of Finland and downtown Helsinki, it was wonderful for our students to build here in London, particularly on such a wonderful site. It was great that we could also make the construction of the sauna – not only its use – part of the LFA. As ever, huge thanks are owed to the Finnish Institute for their generous support of a project that offers so much: designing through making, full-size off-site and on-site construction, and an international partnership fostering knowledge and cultural exchange. I can’t wait for the next one,” said Professor Harry Charrington, Head of School of Architecture + Cities.
"The brief for a mobile sauna that could tour the country prompted an ambitious and challenging solution: one small transportable building that could be deployed as three micro-pavilions working together as changing, washing, and hot rooms. The design combined lapstrake boat construction to keep the weather out, with a curved ceiling inspired by the London Tube to keep the heat in, pushing our boundaries for digital and analogue construction in the Lab. It was a great achievement by the students and staff from the Fabrication Lab to get such a complex project built in such a short timescale. A fantastic effort by everyone involved," said Dr David Scott, Director of the Fabrication Lab.
Learn more about the School of Architecture and Cities and the Fabrication Lab at the University of Westminster.
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