Design studio 4a Architekten have completed an aquatics centre embedded into the landscape of the Offenburg Citizens’ Park in the south of Germany. The design of the Stegermatt Centre is characterised by the interplay of architecture and landscape, with expansive roof surfaces, spacious glass façades and atmospheric spatial volumes interlocking with the natural surroundings to emphasise the contrast between the man-made and the natural. The building is divided architecturally into

A public sauna has opened on the former military island of Lonna, just off the shores of Finnish capital Helsinki. Designed by Helsinki-based architects OOPEAA, the compact 190sq m sauna has been built using natural materials – including handcrafted, untreated wooden logs. Located within a seven-minute boat ride of Helsinki city centre, the sauna has been designed to offer a natural haven within a metropolitan environment. “The sauna represents the

A timber-clad sauna and bathhouse built on stilts has opened to the public in the town of Karlshamn on the southern coast of Sweden. The 200sq m (2,152sq ft) Kallbadhus – Swedish for “the cold bath house” – is located along a wooden beach promenade and sits at a height of three metres above sea level. Designed by Gothenburg-based architects White Arkitekten, the SEK8m (US$925,000, £716,000, €821,000) bath house is

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Elon Musk’s latest big idea to a knighthood for David Adjaye. Monday • In an exclusive interview, James Corner, one of the leading figures behind New York’s High Line elevated park, has described landscape architects as “the unsung heroes of the public realm.” Read here. • Architecture and planning studio Ecosistema Urbano have won a design competition

Residents of Sweden’s northernmost town can now relax in a rather unique type of sauna: a sculptural chamber encased within a giant golden egg. Designed by art and design duo Bigert & Bergström, Solar Egg is conceived as a social art work in which the people of Kiruna can meet and discuss the challenges facing their community. The town is being completely relocated so that mining company LKAB can extract

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Elon Musk’s latest big idea to Peter Zumthor’s extension for Fondation Beyeler in Basel. Monday • The committee hoping to bring the Olympic Games to Los Angeles in 2024 has released new renderings of Valley Sports Park – the district that would host several events at the tournament if the city’s bid is successful. Read here. Tuesday

Thirty years after it first opened, Center Parcs has unveiled its new Forest Spa concept at its 1,500sq m (16,146sq ft) Sherwood Forest location in England, showcasing 26 new spa experiences in a completely redesigned two-storey spa. “This is not just a refurbishment, but an evolution of our brand,” said Sue Goddard, group leisure manager. “We don’t want to wait until our spa concept shows its age – we want

The government of Canada and Quebec municipality have each pledged to invest US$4.4m (€4m, £3.4m) for the construction of a large-scale aqua-gym complex in the town of Dolbeau-Mistassini, the government of which will fund the same amount. The facility will feature nn indoor waterpark, including a shallow pool, slides and water games; a six-corridor pool; two diving areas; a sauna; two mezzanines; and a gymnasium. "Cultural and recreational infrastructure helps

The iconic Swiss hotel Waldhaus Flims Alpine Grand Hotel & Spa has reopened after a four-month renovation, which has seen both bedrooms and suites redeveloped, along with a new 2,800sq m (30,139sq ft) spa. The new spa is part of a CHF40m (US$40m, €36m, £28m) revamp by Hong Kong-based interior design firm Peter Silling & Associates, which aims to maintain the property’s Belle Epoque heritage while enhancing the resort to

Scotland’s first loch-side wood-burning sauna experience has opened on the shores of Loch Tay. The Hot Box has been created by architects McKenzie Strickland Associates on Taymouth Marina in the village of Kenmore. Stretching 40ft (12.19m), the sauna is designed to offer panoramic views across the loch to the adjacent hills. Guests of the sauna are encouraged to sit in the sauna, where there is a wood-burning stove, before leaping

A new London exhibition is set to explore communal bathing culture through the work of contemporary architects and designers. The immersive show – called Soak, Steam, Dream and organised as part of the 2016 London Design Festival – uses photography, film and archive objects to showcase international bathhouse projects by designers as varied as Peter Zumthor, Kengo Kuma and H3T architekti. Each project has been chosen for its role in

Italian collective the Network of Architecture (noa*) have completed their apple-inspired spa and wellness centre for a boutique hotel in Italy’s Passiria Valley. The outer structure of the Applesauna wellness building is totally green, and is experienced as a hill. It evolves into a “mystical and intimate space” as guests move inside to use the sauna, showers and relaxation area. A key element of the design is the cycle of

The ‘Creating Atmospheres’ pavilion at the upcoming pool, spa and sauna trade fair Interbad, set to take place 27 - 30 September in Stuttgart, Germany, aims to show how to create the ‘right’ environment for all the senses. The pavilion will include architecture, green areas, lighting and acoustics, and is developed in co-operation with the Association of German Interior Designers (BDIA), the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects and the interior design

Finnish architects Avanto Architects have designed a public sauna that doubles as an outdoor auditorium for marine sports in Helsinki. The sauna, named Löyly, is located on the waterfront in Hernesaari, once an industrial area of the city. Wooden slats clad the multi-faceted, pyramid-like structure, allowing visitors to climb up the roof to a viewpoint at the top of the building, or sit and look out to sea. A ground

A new boutique hotel on the Italian island of Pantelleria is opening next month and will later house a natural, open-air spa facility. Sikelia is a luxury retreat created from an ancient dammuso – the original stone houses built on the volcanic island. The 20-suite hotel, is located 100km (62 miles) southwest of Sicily on the island known as the ‘black pearl’ of the Mediterranean. The hotel has been created

German designers Toni Egger and Felix Tarantik are creating mobile saunas inside the aluminium shells of Swiss ski lift gondolas. The four-person Saunagondel can withstand extreme weather conditions and, with a footprint of two by two metres, is small and lightweight enough to transport from place to place. The sauna is fitted with custom-made silver fir wood interiors and a 4.5 kW electric heater that can reach temperatures of 100

London-based architecture firm Fox Fernley Landscape Office have designed a three-person, translucent sauna as part of a winning design in the Winter Stations Design competition in Toronto. The Winter Stations design competition had a theme of Freeze / Thaw this year, and asked designers and artists to respond to the changing conditions and transitions of the Toronto winter. “Most of the artists took this to be something about the natural

Architecture studio YOD have renovated and modernised a Soviet-era building in a Ukrainian pine forest to create a nature-inspired spa and leisure complex. The facility is an extension to the newly-built Relax Park Verholy Hotel, located in the Poltava region, which the Kiev-based studio designed last year. The new complex features a spa and sauna, an indoor swimming pool, a cafe, a fitness centre and 17 additional hotel rooms –

Greece’s Miraggio Thermal Spa Resort is set to open in May of this year in Halkidiki, with a 3,000sq m (32,291sq ft) Myrthia Thermal Spa, and plans for a medical wellness section to be added in 2017. Owned by Med Sea Health, the resort is designed by Greek architecture firm DLP, owned by Michel De Landtsheer and Eleni Pletsa, and will feature 300 bedrooms and suites, 48 with private pools.

Seattle-based architects goCstudio have built and launched a floating sauna in Seattle, providing locals with a new perspective of their waterfront city. The designers wanted to create a tranquil refuge which could tour Seattle’s many lakes. Designs were drawn up in January 2014 and a successful Kickstarter campaign raised over US$40,000 to keep the project afloat. Construction was completed in Q3 this year, and the vessel – named the wa_sauna

When the City of Gothenburg wanted to revitalise its battered harbour front, as part of its wider scheme to regenerate the Jubilee Park and Frihamnen areas, the architects in charge – Raumlabor – turned to the country's rich sauna bathing tradition for inspiration. They planned to create a project called Bathing Culture, with a first phase being the building of a beach and the incredible Sauna in Frihamnen. The 20-seater

The Galgorm Resort & Spa in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, has opened a new Thermal Spa Village, which means the resort now boasts 75,000sq ft (6,968sq m) of picturesque riverside spa facilities. The Thermal Spa Village was launched at the same time as the resort added another 48 guestrooms, designed by architect Douglas Wallace, bringing the total offering to 122. Spa consultant Jennifer Gorman helped create the Thermal Spa Village, which