Drying Shed Sauna
Architect’s Holiday Woodland Sauna
The Drying Shed sauna is located on a farm in the High Weald AONB. Inspired by Scandinavian sauna culture, it provides a meditative experience for guests staying in two Built Works-designed eco-cabins on the same site, run by Architects Holiday - an online platform for architect-designed holiday-lets.
Tucked into a clearing, the sauna’s compact design uses the site’s sloping topography and dense woodland to prevent overlooking from the cabins and immerse guests into nature.
Status: Complete
Client: Architects Holiday
Location: Catsfield, East Sussex
Contractor: Built Works
Awards: RIBA South East Awards, BD Architect of the Year, AJ Small Projects Awards, Wood Awards, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
Press: Dezeen, Architects Journal, BauNETZ, Design Boom, PLAIN, Timber Development UK, Avontuura, Tidskriften Rum, Wild Saunas, British Cabins & Hideaways
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The interior is clad with alder panelling to match the alder trees that surround it - blurring the lines between inside and out. The off-grid sauna uses a wood-burning stove with authentic Finish sauna stones, and guests are invited to tend to the fire, as they relax and shape their own sauna ritual. The wood for fuel is sourced from the site itself and the neighbouring woodland, while the sauna bench within was constructed by hand from a silver birch tree trunk, creating a natural and organic form to counter the geometries form of the sauna. From here, guests can admire tranquil views of the wider unspoilt countryside, via a large picture window that brings the outside in.
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The Drying Shed sauna is located on a farm in the High Weald AONB. Inspired by Scandinavian sauna culture, it provides a meditative experience for guests staying in two Built Works-designed eco-cabins on the same site, run by Architects Holiday - an online platform for architect-designed holiday-lets.
Tucked into a clearing, the sauna’s compact design uses the site’s sloping topography and dense woodland to prevent overlooking from the cabins and immerse guests into nature.
Status: Complete
Client: Architects Holiday
Location: Catsfield, East Sussex
Contractor: Built Works
Awards: RIBA South East Awards, BD Architect of the Year, AJ Small Projects Awards, Wood Awards, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
Press: Dezeen, Architects Journal, BauNETZ, Design Boom, PLAIN, Timber Development UK, Avontuura, Tidskriften Rum, Wild Saunas, British Cabins & Hideaways
The interior is clad with alder panelling to match the alder trees that surround it - blurring the lines between inside and out. The off-grid sauna uses a wood-burning stove with authentic Finish sauna stones, and guests are invited to tend to the fire, as they relax and shape their own sauna ritual. The wood for fuel is sourced from the site itself and the neighbouring woodland, while the sauna bench within was constructed by hand from a silver birch tree trunk, creating a natural and organic form to counter the geometries form of the sauna. From here, guests can admire tranquil views of the wider unspoilt countryside, via a large picture window that brings the outside in.
The Drying Shed sauna was built by Built Works and Architects Holiday in a summer workshop to test innovative ideas and develop new skills to promote sustainable construction throughout their wider work.
Drawings & Models.
The design references historic, local agricultural drying sheds, drawing a light-hearted parallel between both uses. This can be seen in its simple form and finish, where the distinct larch shingles are arranged in a repeating panel pattern to emphasise their textured finish and the variation found in nature. Beautiful timber corner details offer a nod to visible façade mechanisms on traditional drying sheds, and double as a storage solution for robes.
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Project Development.
