WORDS Amelia Brown IMAGES Jean-Baptiste Béranger VIDEO via designboom on Vimeo
In the futuristic, snow-covered landscape of Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost town, sits a glinting, golden, spaceship-like faceted egg.
This beautiful mirrored structure and engineering triumph is actually a mobile public sauna. Artist duo Bigert & Bergström were commissioned by developers Rijksbyggen, Sweden’s housing co-operative association, to create a social sculpture to commemorate the urban growth and relocation of the town of Kiruna.
Titled Solar Egg, it’s intended as a symbol of rebirth and new opportunities. In Lapland’s Arctic climate, the sauna offers warmth and reflection for visitors and residents – it’s a literal and virtual incubator to nurture conversation and exchanges of ideas. The project continues Bigert & Bergström’s exploration of humanity’s relationship to climate, nature, energy and technology.
The multi-faceted installation stands five meters high and four meters wide and is made of 69 separate pieces that can be taken down and moved. It’s wrapped in gold-plated stainless steel to create the smooth, mirrored “shell”.
The interior features wooden wall panels and floor decking made out of pine with an aspen bench. A wood-heated, heart-shaped sauna stove made out of iron and stone stands at the egg’s core. Temperatures in the egg can vary between 75º and 85º celcius, with average temperatures in Kiruna just 12ºC in summer.
Visit Bigert & Bergström to read more about this and other projects.
(h/t) designboom.com