Break Water Sauna
Warrnambool, Victoria.
A beachside sauna set into the dunes at the Warrnambool Breakwater, looking out across Lady Bay.
The sauna is a light touch. A pre-built, transportable timber structure raised on removable Surefoot micropile footings, engineered for sandy, coastal ground, and able to be lifted out entirely, leaving the dune undisturbed. In place of the invasive weed that covers the site, native and endemic coastal planting is reintroduced around the building. The aim is to leave the foreshore healthier than it was found.
Two saunas share a single threshold: a vestibule for changing and sitting, sheltered from the wind. One is a larger communal room for gathering, louder and social; the other a quieter room for contemplation. From here, a short path leads to the water for cold immersion. Openings are composed toward the breakwater and the bay. Materials are chosen to withstand salt and moisture, and to belong to this coast.
The result is a year-round public room on the edge of the Southern Ocean. A place to move between heat and sea, through every season.
photography by Lachlan Balia