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Loyly: A Sauna Experience Over Geneva Lake

Anabata Media · September 13th, 2022
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Located on Geneva Lake, which stretches across Switzerland and France, "Loyly" is a Prefabricated Floating Sauna project designed by Trolle Rudebeck Haar. This Prefabricated Floating Sauna design project is the final project to earn his bachelor's degree at the Lausanne University of Art and Design (ECAL) in Switzerland.

Loyly: A Sauna Experience Over Lake Jenawa(Trolle Rudebeck Haar creates a prefabricated sauna experience on Lake Geneva)

At first, Trolle Rudebeck Haar stayed in Finland as an exchange student for one year. Many sources say Finland is known as one of the countries steeped in sauna culture. From here, Trolle Rudebeck Haar was inspired to build a sauna as a "celebration" of his last work for ECAL.

Loyly: A Sauna Experience Over Lake Jenawa(To access the Loly sauna, visitors are required to swim and then climb stairs and sliding doors)

Through Loyly, Trolle Rudebeck Haar offers the sensation of a private sauna in the middle of Geneva Lake, Switzerland, with stunning views of the Alps. This translates into the Loyly structure laid on a floating pontoon deck equipped with a hollow barrel to provide buoyancy to the structure. This system helps Loyly to stay afloat above the lake.

Loyly: A Sauna Experience Over Lake Jenawa(Visitors can enjoy the view of the Swiss mountains)

The 2.2-square-meter building was built with prefabricated elements so the Loyly structure could be easily dismantled and reassembled. This prefabricated element is made of spruce wood finished with wood oil to display the natural wood texture while keeping the wood from splashing lake water. Trolle Rudebeck Haar chose fir wood because of its lightness and durability.

Loyly: A Sauna Experience Over Lake Jenawa(Haar chose fir wood as a Loly structure to be durable and lightweight)

Loyly's interior can access via a staircase leading to a semi-transparent polycarbonate sliding door inspired by a traditional Japanese house known as shoji. According to Haar, this polycarbonate sliding door has light properties, so it can help ease the load of the building structure floating above the lake. In addition, sliding doors are considered to withstand wind from the outside and can help trap steam.

Loyly: A Sauna Experience Over Lake Jenawa(The interior of the Loly sauna contains a chair that can fit three people and a wood burner that produces steam)

The semi-transparent walls allow the sauna room to be showered with light during the sunny day, also providing privacy in the sauna's interior. While inside, visitors will see a small wood-burning stove that produces steam for the sauna and a wooden chair that can fit up to three people.

Loyly: A Sauna Experience Over Lake Jenawa(Haar presents Japanese-style sliding doors in Loly sauna)

Loyly: A Sauna Experience Over Lake Jenawa(The sloping and seemingly built roof of the sauna uses corrugated polycarbonate)

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Design · Public Space ·