[5]ens

HM of London Urban Retreat: Haggerston Public Baths

+ HONOURABLE MENTION

London Urban Retreat: Haggerston Public Baths

[20441]

[5]ens

Team

Name: Laurence Gauthier

Instagram: _laugauthier

Nationality: Canadian

Institution / Company: Université Laval

Name: Nathalou Dubé

Instagram: nathaloud

Nationality: Canadian

Institution / Company: Université Laval

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Once a place of purification and relaxation, this building housed public baths and a swimming pool, symbolizing a collective approach to well-being through hygiene. Today, it becomes a space for encounters and diverse experiences, where visitors can recharge through the pleasure of their senses, guided by architecture.

Inside, a large path leads visitors through a gradual exploration of the space. A fissure now cuts through the building in the form of a footbridge, intended as the main circulation axis, profoundly transforming the former public bath to adapt it to a more contemporary interpretation of well-being. This structural opening divides the complex into five zones, each dedicated to one of the senses: hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell.

Each of these spheres offers a unique atmosphere that invites contemplation, awakening, or immersion. At the center lies a multifunctional space that encourages encounters and varied exchanges, the true living heart of the project. It represents a place of convergence where the five senses come together in a harmonious experience.

Balancing heritage and contemporary creation, this transformation highlights the diversity of experiences capable of fostering a sense of well-being, turning a former place of hygiene into a sanctuary of perception and shared experience.

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Jury Comments

– David Aldana

Powerful concept that enriches day to day activities and enhances the senses. While the concept is succesful I get a sensorial museum vibe which does not necessarily boost the local community but rather attracts a larger and foreign (not from that neightborhood / it could quickly become a tiktok recommendation in London) crowd to live a one time experience. I would love to see how this can be grounded in to a local and more routinary experience that boosts the senses and acts as a retreat for the community.

– Josefine Fokdal

Strong concept and architectonically interesting, however, the communication is not quite clear. How does the different sense transfer into the architectural fabric and how does it link to the past of rthe building?