New York, NY
For an estate overlooking the Hudson River, we were commissioned to design a sauna structure positioned against an existing retaining wall, with a sweeping view of the river and Catskill Mountains beyond. The estate is comprised of a large manor from the 1940s and extensive agricultural outbuildings and barns. The sauna was designed in contrast to the existing structures on the estate: a clean rectangular volume, with a material palette consisting of an ipe rain screen, unlacquered bronze overhang and window casings, and atop the green roof, corten steel enclosures cover chimneys. Inside, cedar slats make up the seating and removable floor deck, while tongue and groove planks cover the walls and ceiling. Large soapstone slabs cover the floors in the changing room and serve as heat shields around the electric and wood-burning stoves. Firewood is stored in ipe boxes under the seats and beside the stoves. The horizontal windows afford views of the Hudson River and the Catskills in the distance. An outdoor shower with a rain head cantilevers from the façade. Further downhill, a wooden soaking tub is nestled into the ground, tucked into the hillside looking out over the river.
Status: Built
Location: Staatsburg, NY, US