Hej Archinect!

This past week has action-packed since I've returned from DIS's first study tour. We've been given the details for our final studio project, which has to be completed within 3 weeks. Yikes. Anyways, I'll give a quick brief on the project to anyone who's interested, and then share a bit of my process from the past few days.

The project entails designing a 15,000 sf bath and sauna facility in Copenhagen's harbor. The site is in Havneholmen, a neighborhood transformed from industrial area to a modern residential/business zone.



There's a lot of housing and corporate buildings in view, as well as a pedestrian bridge crossing the harbor.



Sketching, conceptualizing, and designing for the past few days has been really enjoyable (I don't say that for many projects!). The short, intense schedule for the project requires you to formulate an idea and run with it - which is refreshing. Weeks of just precedent studies gets old!

The typology we're working with is also pretty unique. It's really more of a structure than a building - which frees you from alot of constraints and considerations that typically go into a building used year-round. The bath is open-air and used seasonally, obviously.

Anyways, here's an image of my studio desk as of this afternoon. We've had a couple of studio days to work on things, and since Tuesday when we started I've developed a concept and a fairly fleshed-out design. I've been working a lot in plan, and a bit in small 1:500 models. The plan sketch shown is a little outdated, but you can see my concept drawing, which is current.



I wanted the bath's main swimming basin to seamlessly transition into the harbor, so that it feels as if you're actually swimming in the bay. Naturally, there will be a division between the two, but I want to conceal it. So, using three intersecting axes (sauna/closed services, lap pool/open services, and circulation), I cradled the main recreation area into an open scheme that promotes spectacle and views in/around the basin and decks. Here's a closer image of my little schematic model.



Anyways, that's what I've been up to, in a nutshell! Thanks for everyone who linked me some precedents in that thread I started earlier this week - they really got the creative juices flowing! If anyone wants to comment or critique, please do. I'll update you next weekend on my studio progress!

Tak! =)