EMERGENCE

FINALIST of London Urban Retreat: Haggerston Public Baths

+ FINALIST

London Urban Retreat: Haggerston Public Baths

[20442]

EMERGENCE

Team

Name: Madison Merwine

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-merwine-71551a188/

Nationality: USA

Institution / Company: HKS, Inc.

Name: Isabella Crowley 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabella-crowley-9a9117254/ 

Nationality: USA 

Institution / Company: FIU/ City of North Lauderdale

Name: Emely P. Maldonado Pagán

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emely-maldonado-41961a1b3/ 

Nationality: Puerto Rico, USA

Institution / Company: N/A

Name: Brandon Lay

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-lay-9b4b6112a/

Nationality: USA

Institution / Company: JZW Architects

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Haggerston is a culturally diverse community with a wide range of age groups, yet it lacks programs that address public health and well-being. Our group’s redesign seeks to preserve the historical significance of the existing bathhouse while introducing spaces that promote group wellness in communal areas, provide opportunities for relaxation, and facilitate community interaction. The first floor will feature local small-scale retail, group wellness classes, and gathering spaces to support communal and social healing. In contrast, the second floor will accommodate more private, individual-focused programming, offering areas for internal reflection and renewal.

The main bathing space has been transformed into a central hub that serves as a flexible event venue and indoor park, encouraging visitors to engage with one another and the environment. Bridges connect the different programmatic zones, complemented by insulation panels inspired by the street art that once covered the bathhouse. This concept is reflected on the vault’s walls through emerging field vectors, that generate abstract overlapping grids that support plant growth. Stationary yucca gloriosa fiber panels serve as anchors for these fields. The resulting design appears spontaneous, reminiscent of graffiti, yet is generated through a purposeful algorithm, paralleling the intentional creative process of street artists.

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Jury Comments

– Josefine Fokdal

No contextualisation to the surroundings or to the building itself – eventhogh the text claims it does.