The Sleeping
Sentō
SP ‘23
I began my project by creating sponge and clay models that were wrapped together to create a relationship between soft but structured materials and soft and moldable materials. These studies led to my design that consists of hard materials that look like soft materials, pressing against each other to deform both shapes.
deform both shapes.
deform both shapes.
These different forms also led to program in my building. The first part of my project is “Neru” or “Sleep”. The small sleeping rooms are designed for sleep or rest only. They are the brick layers of my bulding. As one ascends the floors, the rooms become larger. The first floor contains only singles, the second floor has a mix of singles and doubles (for friends/family) and the third floor is all doubles/triples for families. These floors do experience some floor and ceiling deformation due to the pillowy shapes pressing against them. However, there is a rule to the allowed deformation. And this becomes more apparent within the sento space.
So what is a sento? A sento is a Japanese public bathhouse. Also known as an Onsen, however an onsen uses spring water for their baths. A sento uses city water. My baths are contained in the pillowy levels of the building. The deformation of the brick floors allows the baths to spill out of the sides. When there is a slight slope downward, the bath is formed outside the boundaries of the brick. When the floor slopes upward, the pillowed space is contained in the boundary and there is no below ground bath. The slope allows people to wade into the water, a function very common in traditional Japanese bathhouses.
Another tradition of Japanese bathhouses is the Sento etiquette and step process one follows when taking baths. My bath houses are designed to experience the traditional process, but allows the ability to go to any bath you desire. The circulation is in the core of the building. Once you arrive on a bath floor, you must enter the changing rooms in order to access the baths. Once rinsed and dressed, you can access any of the baths but there is a traditional process you can follow.
