Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
Located at Pier 36 on east river, Helsinki Hamam is a temporary floating pavilion. The purpose is to explore new ways of socializing around water in New York City waterfront.
Commissioned by Finnish Cultural Institute NY for May 2020 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Institution, the pavilion looks at sauna culture in Finland and hamam culture in Turkey while celebrating waterfronts of New York, Helsinki and Istanbul. The structure is formed by two interlocked walls. Each start at 3’ high and raise up to 26’ at the center.
The 1st wall starts as a landing platform on the pier to welcome guests. As people move along the wall, they arrive at a 30’X30’ room with an opening at the roof and another one on the floor to reveal the water with a seating around. The room encourages people to sit around the water to reflect on the water, sky and to socialize without any visual connection to the cityscape. As they leave the room, the 2nd wall directs them back to the pier while the wall starts to disintegrate and provide a glance at the city.