Ika.architekti builds fun and functional DIY sauna in Brno
Tomáš Slavík

Ika.architekti builds fun and functional DIY sauna in Brno

31 Jan 2025  •  News  •  By Gerard McGuickin

Brno-based ika.architekti has built an upcycled sauna using an array of old materials. The project includes wooden pallets, cement-bonded particle boards, and sheep wool — by reusing these materials, in effect giving them a second chance, the architects have created a fun and functional DIY sauna.

photo_credit Tomáš Slavík
Tomáš Slavík
photo_credit Tomáš Slavík
Tomáš Slavík

“This is what happens when you scroll through second-hand websites and when you love collecting materials that might still come in handy,” says ika.architekti. “It might sound like hoarding, but when you’re an architect, you suddenly have a lot of great stuff to build with. And as architects, that’s precisely how we’ll sometimes spend our free weekends.”

photo_credit ika.architekti
ika.architekti
photo_credit Tomáš Slavík
Tomáš Slavík

For architects Tomáš Dvořák and Lenka Bažík of ika.architekti, the project “satisfied the need for a sauna.” With a large garden site in the city of Brno, it presented an opportunity to construct something by hand using a variety of accumulated and affordable materials: wooden sleepers, palettes, planks, and beams for the structure; sheep and mineral wool for insulation; cement-bonded particle boards for the flooring; and fiberglass for the facade.

photo_credit ika.architekti
ika.architekti
photo_credit ika.architekti
ika.architekti
photo_credit ika.architekti
ika.architekti

The sauna’s foundation was made from wooden sleepers and its load-bearing structure was built with 1x1-meter wooden pallets; new hardware plates and brackets were used to connect the palettes. Ika.architekti placed mineral wool across the floor and covered this with cement-bonded particle board pieces — rather than actual single boards, the architects pieced the floor together with what was available. The sauna’s roof was constructed using leftover beams and pallets and a slight slope facilitates rainwater drainage.

photo_credit ika.architekti
ika.architekti
photo_credit ika.architekti
ika.architekti
photo_credit ika.architekti
ika.architekti

“The most enjoyable part of the construction process was insulating the structure with raw sheep wool — we acquired it very affordably from a local shepherd,” says ika.architekti. The wool was cleaned by hand and stuffed into the walls and ceiling. Mesh and reflective foil cover the inner insulation; the exterior is protected by facade foil.

photo_credit Tomáš Slavík
Tomáš Slavík
photo_credit Tomáš Slavík
Tomáš Slavík

The sauna’s interior surface was completed using spruce planks, reminiscent of a Finnish sauna. Cement-bonded particle boards were placed behind the stove to improve heat retention. The structure’s exterior has a wooden grid made with leftover battens and second-hand corrugated fiberglass panels; the panels were bent and curved at the sauna’s corners, softening its overall appearance.

photo_credit Tomáš Slavík
Tomáš Slavík
photo_credit Tomáš Slavík
Tomáš Slavík

To complete the project, a dipping pool made from a gold-painted mining truck provides a quirky, contrasting detail.

photo_credit Tomáš Slavík
Tomáš Slavík
photo_credit Tomáš Slavík
Tomáš Slavík

Built-up floor area: 6 square meters

Gross and usable floor area: 4 square meters

Dimensions: 2.3m x 2.5m x 2.5m