We went to greet the first sunrise of the year to the site.

December 31st, 2011

During this autumn, we have finalised architectural, structural and mechanical design of the building, applied for a building permit and developed the building's energy system. Its been a pleasure to work with a very experienced team of people on the design:
Geotechnical design: Roman Timaskin (FCG)
Structural design: Kari Lomperi and Henry Tapiola (FCG)
Energy system development (in collaboration with Fortum): Aki Koskinen and Elina Kokko (Fortum)
Sustainability consultant: Juha Vanhanen (Gaia Group)
HVAC design: Aki Kurronen (Entalcon)

On the side of the City of Helsinki, we have worked the following people in various city bureaus:
Building permits / Rakennusvalvonta: Heli Virkamäki
Real estate dept. / Kiinteistövirasto: Juhani Kovanen and Henna Vennonen
Urban planning / Kaupunginsuunnitteluvirasto: Annukka Lindroos, Satu Tyynilä, Kerttu Kurki-Issakainen and also Ulla Kuitunen, who first pointed us to look at the site almost 1,5 years ago.

Also everyone at our office has been in some way involved and contributing the project. Outi Pirhonen and Petri Herrala on architectural documents, Lorenzo Servi (Studio Lumart) on early renderings, Dan Schoultz on project management and cost estimates, and finally Yuko Ozawa and Juha Kivistö, who built a beautiful wooden model during last summer:

December 15th, 2011

Earlier this autumn, together with Nene, we went to the site of Kulttuurisauna with filmmaker Antti Seppänen to record some thoughts and ideas on the upcoming building.

Tuomas Toivonen

When I visit Japan, I love going to Onsen (hot springs) and Sento (Japanese public bath). The smell, people getting cleaned, relaxed in large public space... it's the best thing you can do there (and eating). 

When we started considering the idea of building a public sauna in Helsinki, I realised that my dream job is to run a public sauna – offering people a place for cleansing, bathing and sharing quiet togetherness.

We have been working in the field of design and architecture for 10 years now, and felt that we can use all of our skills in this project, developing a new public sauna in Helsinki; as a building, as a service and as an environment. By doing this, we want to contribute to the city, participating in making Helsinki more interesting and enjoyable.

Nene Tsuboi

August 1, 2011

Sometime in early July 2010, I was having a sauna with Benjamin Reichen at Sauna Arla, and we had long talk about building things. Benjamin had recently completed the construction of his own home in London, and we had been thinking with Nene to find a way to build something ourselves in Helsinki. Our ideas for a self-initiated building project had been varied: from a new museum to a small apartment or office building somewhere not too far from the city centre. However, it was impossible to imagine in Helsinki a potential site for such buildings, as the existing fabric of the city contains virtually no areas or lots to reconsider in places that have any urban potential. The new port areas of Helsinki were and are still under planning, maybe we could propose to design and build something there? It could be the first building of a future neighbourhood, built before the masterplans consolidate, oblivious of its context to come... A polite prophesy or an optimistic fossil, could it be the oldest house on the block? To make it happen, one would need a strong enough vision, and a address, to which it could take root, and develop.

Somehow, during that evening, the idea of a public building, an architecture as a destination, that could be visited and experienced again and again formulated itself as new cultural centre and sauna somewhere on the Helsinki waterfront. Imagining the sauna as special social and architectural space, a combination of baths with a public space enabling cultural activity, production and exchange, gave the building a certain gravity and potential.

Later that evening, at home, we discussed this potential new project together with Nene, and I learned that being a Sento-owner was her dream career, and came to the conclusion that we should seriously consider realising this project. It was a synthesis of so many aspects... We were designers, we knew how to build, we wanted to contribute to the city, participate in making Helsinki more interesting and enjoyable, and since no-one else would, we were ready to do it ourselves.

Tuomas Toivonen

July 31, 2011

We are about to build a new public sauna in Helsinki.

Before going into the details and motivations of this project, it may be a good idea to introduce who we are:

– Nene Tsuboi, designer
– Tuomas Toivonen, architect

The sauna is our self-initiated project, and we are in charge of designing, constructing, financing and running it. It is unusal for public buildings especially to be created this way, and we intend to see and show how the results will vary from business-as-usual logics of design, construction, management and upkeep.

This journal is our account of this process, a way to record and publish our ideas, influences, discoveries and decisions along the way, and show how the design and construction of Kultuurisauna is progressing.

Nene Tsuboi & Tuomas Toivonen