Window to Öresund - A New Cold Bathhouse for Landskrona

Abstract

The aim of this master thesis is to create a proposal of a new cold bathhouse that can restore Landskrona’s sea bathing culture and tradition, which was previously destroyed by the winter storm ’Sven’ in December 2013. Landskrona is a seaside town located at the shores of Öresund, a straight between Sweden and Denmark in the province of Scania, south of Sweden. The previous bathhouse was built in 1877 and was the Landskrona’s only proper site for sea bathing in the city centre. The nearest opportunity for sea bathing being at approximately 4km north of Landskron’s city centre. As the surrounding coastline is extremely shallow, one has to wade several hundred metres through the water in order to reach sufficient depth for swimming. The method used in this project has been focused on research by design. I have conducted interviews to expose the specific characters that are sought after in a cold bathhouse in Landskrona and investigated the actual site and its surroundings. I have studied photographs of the previous old bathhouse and visited several other existing bathhouses in Scania. By numerous testing of sketches, 3D modelling and visualisations, I have identified the essential qualities of a bathhouse, developed and brought them together into a design proposal. The result is a proposal of a new cold bathhouse for Landskrona, designed to be open to the general public and situated circa 130 metres north of the former bathhouse. The new cold bathhouse aims to bring back sea bathing opportunities to the heart of the city, while simultaneously creating a bridge between urban life and nature. The pier from the mainland to the bathhouse will contain opportunities for sauna, sea bathing, sunbathing, socialising, and enjoying the beautiful, panoramic view of Öresund.