The Sankt Jørgens Sø Bath House was a short 3 week design project meant to round out the semester. It was to be located on our around Sankt Jørgens Sø, the southern-most lake of the ring of lakes built to help protect the medieval city center of Copenhagen. Because this facility would be a sort of alien construction when compared to the surrounding buildings (especially since it would be located on the lake) I decided to go round and bubbly (very technical term) with it. This would accentuate and embrace its apparent disconnect with the surrounding social context and make it an attraction point for the area. In effect, by accentuating its situational and programmatic awkwardness on the site formally, the project becomes a sort of hub for activity; a social magnet. That was my logic, anyway.

The form came from an investigation of pedestrian traffic trends in the area and formal investigations into the idea of “meta-balls”. The round skin became a sort shell meant to encompass and protect the bathhouse. Apertures on the skin were created with two functions in mind; that of creating a gradation of light from a darker, narrower entry to a large, light filled main space and that of not letting the space become too vulnerable to solar gains. For the latter, an Ecotect analysis of the solar gain of the skin directly translated into the different size apertures of the skin via a Grasshopper definition. Within the space the program is laid out orthogonally to counter the circular plan and each element is contained within individual units meant to isolate and amplify the unique characteristics of each bathing space.

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