Rabagast Studio floats timber sauna atop lake in rural Norway
Student architectural practice Rabagast Studio has completed Watercave, a floating timber sauna on a small pontoon in a Norwegian lake.
The studio, which is led by students from the Trondheim-based Norwegian University of Science and Technology, constructed the sauna in just two weeks for Opaker Gård, an eco-farm in Innlandet that wanted to create a space back to the local community.
Building on an existing timber pontoon, Rabagast Studio wanted the timber sauna to feel both "intimate and ceremonial", giving it a dark, charred timber interior that it described as feeling "almost like a carved-out cave".
"Since the sauna was to be built on a floating pontoon and set freely within the lake, the site offered an unusual degree of design freedom," Rabagast Studio told Dezeen.
"Our primary references became the surrounding hills and forests, prompting us to explore a form that turns inward, almost like a carved-out cave," it added.
"This gesture grew from the idea of a curated sensory reduction: while visitors are always free to experience the landscape around them, we wanted the spatial sequence to centre on a simple, internal ritual."
The timber structure of the sauna was left exposed externally, infilled with horizontal planks on three of its sides and clad with small timber shingles made from leftover panels on the other.
Next to the large chimney of the sauna's wood burner is a large window providing views out across the lake, while on the opposite side a covered area provides storage for firewood alongside a built-in bench.
Inside, the charred timber interior has been coated in linseed oil, and finished with contrasting benches in pale aspen wood that are oriented towards the window.
"We opted to char the interior panels and finish them with linseed oil, creating a warm, dark atmosphere within the sauna," explained the studio.
"This process also releases a distinct natural scent that will linger for years."
In order to balance its weight distribution, the sauna sits at a slight angle atop the pontoon, which is reflected in the angled eaves of its corrugated white polycarbonate roof.
This roof was also designed with periods of heavy snowfall in mind, with its steep pitch preventing over-loading and its white colour helping it to blend in with the surrounding landscape.
"Throughout the process, we had to consider the equilibrium of the floating raft, positioning the sauna so that the entire structure remained stable," said the studio.
"In many ways, we found ourselves thinking more like boatbuilders than architects."
Similar projects in Norway include the Trosten floating sauna alongside the Munch museum in Oslo, which was designed by Estudio Herreros to be a place of "retreat and contemplation for all".
The photography is by Peter Elias Hoddevik unless otherwise stated.
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