CONCEPT: GEOMETRIC EROSION

The aim of the project was to design a Civic Bath in which phenomenology and multi-sensory experiences are involved. Civic Baths are considered to be places for recreation, exercise, and recharge. A place for people to gather together and socialise. However, baths can also be a phenomenological event, a place which is created to address heightened physical sensory experience which is strengthened by the richness of details.
My intention for the project was to create unique phenomenological atmospheres inside and outside the baths. A place of refreshing coolness and calming heat. Carlo Scarpa’s architectural work has inspired me to create my own interpretation of the concept of ‘Geometric Erosion’. The concept is seen in all aspects of the plans, sections, and elevations.
The project allowed me to focus on creating and expressing small details to reach the heart of inhabitants. From the eroded loggias that are dressed in weathered sandstone, to the warmth of the deteriorated timber handrail, the crackled sandstone paving and the echoed sound of water that trickles down from the eroded ceiling. All these small details were created for the inhabitants to expand their physical sensory experience. "Walking through the bath becomes a walk through a world of atmospheres. The passages branch off every which way. Moving around in this space means making discoveries ’’ – Peter Zumthor.