löyly is a floating prefab sauna in the middle of lake geneva

‘löyly’ is a prefab floating sauna made of swiss douglas fir

gently swaying in the middle of lake geneva, ‘löyly’ is a floating prefab sauna designed by trolle rudebeck haar – a graduate from the lausanne university of art and design. haar completed this project after spending a year in finland, where he found a true appreciation for the sauna concept and translated it into ‘löyly’ – his final year project.

all images © noé cutter

haar designed the structure as a 24 sq. ft floating sauna made of locally sourced swiss douglas fir – a lightweight yet durable material that he salvaged from a sawmill nearby. the entire structure was then coated with teak oil to create a more resistant shell all while preserving the fir’s natural look and feel.

visitors get to enjoy a view of the swiss alps

an intimate space FOR relaxation with japanese tones

the interior of the floating sauna oozes with tones of intimacy and comfort. using sliding doors that echo japanese shoji screens, visitors are met with a small wooden burning stove from morzhand and a bench for up to three people to sit on and relax. the choice of stove was made based on practicality: ‘I chose it because it’s compact, transportable, lightweight, and easy to heat up’, comments haar.

haar chose swiss douglas fir as material for being durable and lightweight

balance, weight, and scalability

haar also had to consider balance and weight while designing the sauna. ‘I was calculating the mass of every unit‘, he explains. the presence/absence of people aboard the floating structure, as well as the placement of the barrels underneath it were all carefully studied to create a safe and enjoyable experience.

weight and balance were carefully studied to make the experience safe

in just six hours, the floating sauna was built – but haar made it easy to disassemble and scale for different uses. ‘I imagine it can be used for pop-up events, festivals, and urban planning projects. but, I hope that the actual scale of the structure stays small, so the sauna session is still a cozy and intimate experience’, concludes haar.

the interior is an intimate and warm setting for up to 3 people to enjoy and relax in