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.
“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.”
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.
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.
“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.
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.
To complete the project, a dipping pool made from a gold-painted mining truck provides a quirky, contrasting detail.
Built-up floor area: 6 square meters
Gross and usable floor area: 4 square meters
Dimensions: 2.3m x 2.5m x 2.5m