bathhouse fall 2019, GSAPP Core I Studioprojects
THE BATHHOUSE
This project proposes a bathhouse within the “void” between buildings, transforming the leftover spaces of the city block into a network of shared amenities. While the sidewalk operates as a public space connecting buildings to the street, the interior of the block is often fragmented, fenced off by lot and underutilized. The bathhouse unifies the space between buildings and reorganizes them as a sequence of community spaces.
THE BATHS
At the center, a series of heated baths are enclosed by thin brick shells constructed using the Guastavino tile technique, a vaulted masonry system famously used in New York landmarks including Grand Central Terminal and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The shells help protect bather’s privacy from the windows of the buildings facing inwards, and create shading in the summer and help retain heat in the winter.
A HIDDEN LABYRINTH OF COMMUNITY SPACES
Smaller alleys and residual spaces accommodate more temporary programs. Inflatable steam-room shells expand into the alleys when in use, filling with steam, and collapse for storage when the space needs to return to circulation. Elsewhere, the in-between spaces become a collection of shared amenities: small bandshells for performances, a secluded “secret garden,” a dog run, and other informal gathering spaces.