Karlshamn’s cold water bath house wins first prize
(Photo: Jonas Gustafsson)
Southern Sweden’s open air baths in Karlshamn took home first prize in the category of Urban Planning, a newly established award by the Municipality of Karlshamn. White Arkitekter’s design is open to all, blending with the landscape while standing out.
The new cold baths in Karlshamn are an example of the revival of a tradition with historic roots. The city has been the previous home to several open-air baths — none of which exist today. White received the commission by the association “Karlbadhusets vänner” with the brief to design a new bath accessible to everyone.
“I already knew that the bathhouse was appreciated by the residents. Now we have this official recognition, which is very rewarding. I have a strong feeling that the bath house in Karlshamn will inspire other Swedish cities”, says architect Sven Gustafsson from White’s office in Malmö.
White’s design results in a structure that blends magnificently into the landscape and at the same time stands out with a bold symmetrical elegance. The bath house is constructed entirely of wood and accommodates two dressing rooms, two saunas and a community hall. Together with the adjacent “Väggabadet”, it equips the area with indoor, outdoor and cold baths and optimally located boasting magnificent views of the Bay of Hanö.
“The building, which is an excellent example of good Scandinavian architecture, reflects well its time, connects to the local history and helps to bring back a long-awaited feature which previously existed in the area”, the jury wrote.
Contact: sven.gustafsson@white.se, +46 (0)40 660 93 24
White Arkitekter was founded by Sidney White in 1951 and is Scandinavia’s leading architectural firm with over 800 employees working in 14 offices in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the UK. Our work is research focused and our expertise encompasses architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and interior design.
For nearly two decades, White has invested in establishing a unique research-based department of highly qualified experts in the field of sustainable design. Our founder’s aim was to improve society through architecture and his legacy lives on in our ambition to contribute towards the building of a sustainable world.
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