Vaskosaari Summer Sauna

Nestled on an island in the Gulf of Finland, Vaskosaari sauna is tucked away between the forest and the north shore. Selected with care, the vision for the location was to create a new building to supplement the relaxing space formed by the residence, dock, and cliff. This building would serve as a sauna connecting the swimming pier and beach while also offering a slightly more secluded location for a guest room.

The municipal zoning in the area alloted 25 square metres for the building. A sliding door and a leafy alder in the yard provide privacy to the sauna’s dressing room, which is meant for summer use. The combined sauna and washing facilities are accessed from the dressing room, and the terrace is shared with the guest room at the other end of the building. The guest room door opens onto views of the seascape.

Another terrace at the back of the building houses a fresh water storage tank and space for storing kayaks, and a block for chopping wood is provided at one end of the building. Children have a “secret” place of their own in the open space under the roof.

To comply with construction regulations, the building floor has been raised to the required height above sea level. Two staircases provide access to the terrace: one each in front of the sauna and guest room doors.

The logs were carved in Billnäs and shipped to the site. The frame was assembled on prefabricated concrete pillars driven into a gravel base. Once the log frame was in place, the rest of the work was volunteered by friends of the owner.

Read the article in Finnish: Kesäsauna Vaskosaari

CREDITS

Tuomas Siitonen is an architect, who is currently working with small-scale architecture in his own office and teaching as a lecturer at Aalto University.