Meet The Solar Egg, A Giant Golden Sauna Built In Luossabacken, Sweden » Design You Trust — Design Daily Since 2007
Meet The Solar Egg, A Giant Golden Sauna Built In Luossabacken, Sweden – Design You Trust — Design Daily Since 2007

Meet The Solar Egg, A Giant Golden Sauna Built In Luossabacken, Sweden

In response to a commission from Riksbyggen, Bigert & Bergström have created a sculptural chamber in the form of an egg-shaped sauna that has just been installed at Luossabacken in Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost town.

More info: Bigert & Bergström

Kiruna is currently undergoing a radical transformation, which involves a gigantic move for the whole town. This is so that the mining company LKAB can extract more of the iron seam that cuts diagonally downwards beneath the town. The iron ore is and has been – ever since it first began to be extracted at the end of the 19th century – an important source of income for Sweden, and absolutely vital for the town of Kiruna. No mine, no town. But the breaking up and devastating transformation of the landscape, the environment and the architecture caused by the move are also sparking a lot of debate.

Solar Egg has been made as a social sculpture where local people and visitors to the town can meet and, for instance, discuss these challenges. In the arctic climate of Lapland the sauna occupies a key position, as a room for warmth and reflection. B&B have taken up this tradition and developed a sculptural symbol that prompts thoughts of rebirth and an incubator that nurtures conversation and exchanges of ideas. The project is a continuation of the artists strategy to incorporate the climate into the experience of the artwork which was initiated with the Climate Chambers in 1994.

The egg is made out of stainless golden mirror sheeting, its multifaceted form breaking up the surroundings that it reflects into a multiplicity of different mirror images. Landscape, mine, town, sky, sun and snow are here combined into a fragmented image that can evoke associations with the complexity spanned by today’s discussion about climate and sustainable community development. The egg’s interior has been formed out of wood, with the wall panels and floor decking made out of pine and the bench of aspen. In the centre of the egg stand the wood-heated, heart-shaped sauna stove made out of iron and stone. The temperature inside the egg varies between 75° and 85° Celsius.










If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

More Inspiring Stories

Chinese Farmer Builds Apocalypse-Proof 'Noah’s Ark' Pods

Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura in Barcelona

Artists in Pakistan Target Drones with Giant Posters of Child Victims

Maijishan Grottoes

Stunning Moon Dragon Is A Fairytale-Like Tiny House That Goes Off-Grid

The Safe House

An Impressive Caravan Built Entirely from Lego Bricks

That’s The Kind Of House You Don’t Get To See Everyday

Model of Hogwarts Castle

3D-Printed Solar Systems That Fit On Your Table

Watertower By Tom Fruin

Studio Allergutendinge’s Soul Box is a Portable Retreat for ‘Glamping’ in Nature

"Cats And The City": Russian Artist Imagines A World Where Humans Live Among Giant Cats

The Dubai Miracle Garden That Was Essentially Built On A Desert

Horeca Strategies Agency for Desperados Brand

NEOM and The Line: Saudi Arabia Plans to Construct the World’s Largest Building

Giant Eyeball Found on the Beach

Giant Whale Against Ocean’s Pollution In Bruges

“Towards Balance”: Artist Creates Giant Painting in the Swiss Mountains

Japan's Terrifying Road Is Enough To Give The Most Confident Driver Nightmares

Bota Bota: The Floating Spa of Montreal

These Haunting Pictures Of An Abandoned Funeral Home Will Send A Shiver Down Your Spine

"Safety Vehicle One": Amazing Photos of the 1975 Bricklin SV-1

Giant Snorlax Cushion Is The Comfiest Pokémon Bed You Can Take A Nap On

The City that Builts into the Rock

Elephant Hotel: The Prime Example of Novelty Architecture in 1880s

Re-Imagine The Bathing Concept: There’s A Floating Sauna On A Lake In Seattle

Bondi Icebergs Pool Converted into Giant Esky

Magic Architecture of Stéphane Malka

Artist Matt McCarthy Uses Photoshop To Create Surreal Giant Cat Landscapes