Trosten Floats as a Sustainable and Inclusive Sauna for All

Trosten Floating Sauna is “a sauna for the people,” quoted from EstudioHerreros. This means that the sauna, which opened to the public in May 2024, is intentionally designed to be inclusive, ensuring accessibility for everyone, including people with mobility impairments. The studio tried to make the floating mass environmentally friendly for humans and the surroundings. The two keywords of this project are accessibility and sustainability.

Floating sauna on the fjord (cr: Einar Aslaksen)

A sauna for the people (cr: Einar Aslaksen)

The brightly colored mass has ramps and a spacious interior, providing proper access for wheelchair users. The sauna also uses an energy system that guarantees heat at all levels. Likewise, it can accommodate up to 50 visitors at a time.

Spacious interior (cr: Einar Aslaksen)

Trosten in the floating cluster (cr: Einar Aslaksen)

Trosten, one of the saunas in the floating cluster in Oslo, was designed with an environmentally conscious approach, using natural and recycled materials. The facade comprises aluminum panels made from 75% post-consumer aluminum scraps recycled by Hydro, an aluminum company in Norway. In addition to reducing the carbon footprint, aluminum is considered ideal for being exposed to the Nordic climate all year round: a material that is highly resistant to corrosion and has long durability.

Aluminum facade (cr: Einar Aslaksen)

The tiered shape (cr: Einar Aslaksen)

Furthermore, the sauna interior uses certified wood and recycled terrazzo tiles produced under Green Label certification. These materials provide thermal inertia to the steam cabin.

Terrazzo tiles (cr: Einar Aslaksen)

Direct access to the water (cr: Einar Aslaksen)

Among other saunas, Torsten floats with contrasting forms and colors. The entire structure is mounted on a prefabricated concrete platform, blurring the boundaries between ground and water. With its tiered shape forming an amphitheater, visitors are invited to enter the space below it, plunge into the water, or sit relaxed on it while contemplating amidst the calm water of the fjord.

The towing and fixing process (cr: Einar Aslaksen)

Axonometric diagram