ArchShowcase Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Bike sauna by H3T ArchitektiJune 14th, 2011 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: H3T Architekti How did Bike sauna come to existence? The idea of creating a Bike sauna for city bikers came out spontaneously last year at a Christmas party of bike servicing outfit Bajkazyl at Rašínovo nábřeží. For that occasion we brought our older concept – sauna on wheels that can be dragged behind a car. That evening our sauna went through serious testing by more than 40 people. Everyone liked the concept very much, it was perhaps its greatest success yet. But we couldn’t ignore many calls for sauna that could be dragged behind a bicycle.
After lengthy period of phone and email exchanges with cycling supporters and patrons, during which it seemed the idea was almost bound to fail, we have finally managed to draft a budget and set up a deadline for completion. Our sauna was supposed to be finished in two weeks for the occasion of Prague Critical Mass bike ride which should have culminated in sauna event at Vltava river bank. For some time we were in fact not sure about our ability to finish in time. We were also worried that the limited funds we received were not enough even just for buying materials necessary. Also some non-standard parts were to be manufactured specially for this project. We knew in advance our work would not be paid for, not mentioning the design. Despite all that our final decision was to create this sauna no matter what. We have received first payment about one week before the deadline so the time schedule was very tight. As a result we couldn’t have tested the sauna ourselves. What is more we weren’t able to be present at its maiden ride because we were all busy working on another project in Berlin. Therefore we were quite worried about the outcome of its premiere. The night after the Critical Mass bike ride we learned that the first ride was a success and that people enjoyed it very much. Subsequently we have finished everything we didn’t manage earlier but some improvements are still awaiting us. This sauna is a prototype and it serves as a platform for testing our ideas. It is clear that designing and manufacturing of the sauna was an unforgettable experience for us – and perhaps not only for us. The result of this effort is something truly unique. In the meantime our sauna has traveled around the Czech Republic. It has been a part of carnival parade and it has been seen by many in reality or on photographs that are available on the Internet. It has also taken part in exhibition Velocypedie at National technical library. To our surprise the sauna also made it to foreign magazines concerned with cycling and city transportation. In near future it is about to appear in a book dedicated to mobile saunas, which is going to be published by our Canadian colleagues. These days Bike sauna is stationed at Bajkazyl workshop at MeetFactory, Smíchov. You can rent it there, just contact the workshop staff. The river is near! We wish you many great experiences with our sauna, H3T architects. Official Report – Bike sauna In Prague cycling is a hobby of dedicated cyclists who have to prove constantly that they are spirited enough to adopt this non-standard way of transportation around the city. For all those who are not worried to ride their bikes, we have created a sauna that can be attached to a bike and dragged to a river or lake. Structural design and materials are functional in maximum possible way. With respect to the necessary comfort, dimensions are minimal. The materials used are light and durable. The front tilt is in a way reference to the legendary Velorex three-wheeler. The sauna has capacity of up to six people. It wouldn’t have been possible to create our sauna without reliance, generosity and effort of a number of people. Thank you all very much! This sauna is available for everyone. If you feel like trying it out visit http://www.bajkazyl.cz/. Contact H3T Architekti and H3T Architekti
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