West End Public Bath
Oslo, Norway
Jarmund/Vigsnęs AS Architects

History and modernity are coupled in this retreat

© Nils Petter Dale

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

The original bath and the building that houses it were built as part of the headquarters of Oslo Electrical Works, designed from 1917 to 1932, by the renowned Norwegian firm Bjercke & Eliassen. It is a beautiful building in an unusual neo-Renaissance style with hints of Art Deco influence. The bath was closed in 1992 and it took 5 years of debate and 3 years of planning to complete the reopening in 2000, with ongoing difficulties slowing the project.

Parts of the public bath have been carefully restored (including the wardrobes and pool room), while others have been completely rebuilt (saunas and showers). Outfitting the bathhouse to accommodate separate areas for men and women was also required.

The wardrobe area is shaped as a circular element, reflecting the entrance rotunda outside, and the shower and sauna are designed as curved forms in both plan and section. Materials include mosaic tiles, which cover all surfaces, and glazed tiles in the showers. Teak is used in the saunas for benches, walls, and ceilings and lighting is modulated to support the varying character and uses of the rooms.

The design is based on the architect's deep admiration for Gunnar Asplund, an architect who was teaching in Stockholm in the 1930s when the baths were built, a time that is considered somewhat mythical to the world of architecture in Scandinavia. The showers and saunas were designed the way the architect imagined Gunnar Asplund would have done it, with a strong relationship between modern and archaic design.

Formal name of building:
Vestkantbade / West End Public Bath

Location:
Oslo, Norway

Owner:
The City of Oslo, Department of Parks and Sport

Architect's firm:
Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS Architects MNAL
Einar Jarmund & Håkon Vigsnæs
Kristian Augustsgate 11
0164 Oslo, Norway