Floating Sauna Tromsø Harbour, Tromsø Leisure Facility Norway, Norwegian Timber Architecture Images
Floating Sauna in Tromsø Harbour
post updated 10 February 2024
Design: Skapa Architects
Location: Tromsø Harbour, Troms county, Northern Norway
Photos by David Jensen
27 Jan 2021
Floating Sauna, Norway
Located in the middle of Tromsø Harbour in Norway, a luxury Floating Sauna offers visitors a chance to relax and enjoy unique views of the Northern Lights. Elegantly adorning the stunning coastline of Tromsø, the architects and designers of the impressive project selected Kebony wood, a global leader in the production of sustainable wood, for the exterior façade, and both the roof and ocean terrace decking, contributing to the striking appearance of the sauna.
Handcrafted furniture company Ekte, sauna specialists Pust and Skapa Architects worked through various challenges over the past year to create the floating masterpiece which is seen by locals and visitors as a space to breathe, disconnect from the world whilst connecting with each other.
Over 2,000 metres of Kebony Character was used for the external cladding, the decking, both on the roof and ocean terrace, and most uniquely for the shingled cladding around the entrance to the sauna. Kebony was the perfect choice for the unique project as it complements both the structural design and the natural arctic surroundings of North Norway, whilst requiring little maintenance. In addition, Kebony wood will develop a silver-grey patina as it ages, helping the sauna achieve its goal of displaying a weathered aesthetic over time, without losing any dimensional strength.
Commenting on the popularity of the Tromsø Sauna, Kim Daniel Arthur at Ekte stated,“Seeing people enjoying the Northern Lights whilst relaxing in the sauna, or daring themselves to a dip in the arctic sea is such a rewarding feeling. To imagine that we built something that gives people a joyful escape, a little oasis in the middle of the town, is amazing!”
Erik Stange Ankre at Pust, continues,“The public has really embraced the sauna and made it a part of their daily lives. People come at all hours of the day: either for a morning swim, a lunch time bath or a night time session as late as10pm.The supreme finish provided by Ekte has really made the sauna feel like a little bit of everyday luxury for the people of Tromsø, andof course, the beautiful Kebony makes it stand out as well.”
An intense and collaborative project was run in building a sauna, where the lines between customer and provider were almost non-existent, with customers themselves making and installing over 1,000 shingles from Kebony Character in order to achieve the desired final appearance. Due to extensive planning and support from Kebony, and the other partners involved, the challenges of building a weather-resistant outdoor floating sauna were minimised and all project goals and timelines were met.
Commenting on the use of Kebony, Ekte added,“Working with Kebony, on short timelines, was a smooth experience where we got both technical help and inspiration from their previous projects. We are thrilled with how the project has turned out and look forward to working with Kebony again in the future!”
Developed in Norway, Kebony’s revolutionary technology is an environmentally friendly process which modifies sustainably sourced softwoods by heating the wood with furfuryl alcohol – an agricultural by-product. By polymerising the wood’s cell wall, the softwoods permanently take on the attributes of tropical hardwood including high durability, hardness, and dimensional stability. Kebony’s uniquely natural aesthetic and sustainable credentials were perfectly suited to realise the ambition of the challenging floating sauna.
Design: Skapa Architects
Image Credits: David Jensen
Floating Sauna, Tromsø Harbour images / information received 270121 from Skapa Architects
Location: Tromsø, Norway, northern Europe
Floating Saunas
Contemporary Floating Sauna Architecture – architectural selection below:
Floating wilderness sauna built by students, Soomaa Forests, Estonia
Design: students with Sami Rintala, Pavle Stamenovic & b210
photo : Mari Hunt
Floating Sauna in Soomaa Forests
Floating Sauna, Hardangerfjord, Norway
Design: Casagrande & Rintala
photo courtesy of architects office
Floating Sauna Norway – Hardangerfjord Building
A Finnish sauna room: around 90 C heat is enjoyed, especially in wintertime (-20 C outside) by sitting on wooden benches and throwing water on hot stones on the stove. Sweat and silence, mental purification and physical maintenance. A swim in cold water in between.
Sustainable Floating Cities – Oceanix City by BIG
Architecture in Norway
Contemporary Architecture in Norway – architectural selection below:
Norwegian Architecture Designs – chronological list
Oslo Architecture Walking Tours by e-architect
Recent Norwegian Buildings on e-architect:
Domen Viewpoint, Northeast Norway
Design: Biotope
photograph : Tormod Amundsen / Biotope
Domen Viewpoint Norway
Skigard Hytte, Kvitfjell, Lillehammer
Design: Mork-Ulnes Architects
photography : Bruce Damonte
Skigard Hytte
New Norwegian Buildings
Contemporary Architecture in Norway
Birdwatching Tower, Askøy, Hordaland county, western Norway
Architects: LJB
photography: Anders E. Johnsson
Birdwatching Tower in Askøy
Ski Vest Tower, Norway
Design: Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter
image © RRA
Ski Vest Tower
Comments / photos for the Floating Sauna, Tromsø Harbour design by Skapa Architects page welcome.
Website: Kebony