BÖLE BATH, 2015, Term 2
Bölesholmarna, Umeå
On a beautiful island located near the central area of Umeå lies Bölesholmarna, an island with a wide variety of qualities regarding spatiality and views. The goal of the project was to design a bath facility not bigger than 250 m2 that interacted and related to the location. Based on knowledge gained on diverse workshops and exercies we explored many aspects and characters we wanted our proposal would convey to its users.
My proposal for the new bath facility on Bölesholmarna is a calm relaxation spot located in the far west tip of the island in contrast to the busy family beach to the east.
The building, whose shape follows the landscape’s topography, is constructed using thin horizontal homogenous elements superimposed on another with spacing in-between creating a continuous panoramic view of the surrounding river and nature. Whereas the first four layers serves as walls the remaining five serves a roof. The roof sheets have strategically positioned voids creating an “artificial” dome with different shades of diffuse light inspired by James Turrell's installations in the New York Guggenheim Museum.
The interior’s cylindrical spaces are placed in such a way that they create circulation paths connecting all the spaces amid them and a space between what is inside and what is outside, changing the meaning of edge. The usage of glass for the interior cylinders blurs our understanding of what is interior/exterior and how they’re divided.
A courtyard positioned in the heart of the facility offers a tranquil orchard that can be seen from wherever you are in the building contrasting what is built and what is natural.
