Combining art, nature, and architecture, Barcelona-based practices Mendoza Partida (Héctor Mendoza and Mara Partida) and BAX studio (Boris Bezan) have joined forces to design Art-Sauna, an experience conceived as a continuation of the emotional journey at the Gösta Serlachius Museum of Contemporary Art in Mänttä, Finland. With a subtle, intimate, and domestic scale, this new space joins the complex, harmonizing the dialogue between these three variables and integrating the building into the journey by merging it with the terrain and making it part of the landscape.
Saunas are a fundamental part of Finnish tradition; in fact, they were the first aspect of the country's culture to be included on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Art-Sauna aims to integrate this culture through a journey that blends landscape, art, and architecture, offering visitors a continuous experience that extends beyond viewing art in an ad-hoc gallery space. In addition, the project was one of three nominees for the 2022 Finlandia Prize for Architecture, awarded by the Association of Finnish Architects (SAFA).
Héctor Mendoza, Mara Partida, and Boris Bezan designed the museum's new space using the same logic and common sense applied to the existing Gösta pavilion in 2011, which they won in an international competition organized by the Serlachius Foundation. That pavilion emphasized understanding and enhancing lightweight wood construction, connecting with the forest, and resting on an artificial stone plinth. The new sauna space relates directly to the ground, challenging traditional natural-looking construction by coming into contact with the terrain. This contact lends greater purpose to the use of textured natural and artificial stone, combined with artistic shuttering of colored, grooved concrete. The goal was to achieve a fine, soft perception, closer to a domestic environment.
Project description courtesy of the architects. One of the main architectural strategies implemented was merging the new Art-Sauna space with the topography, making it part of the landscape. In the southern area of the park surrounding the museum, at a point where the path approaches the water level, a discreet fork in the road gently leads visitors to a “semi-secret” location. It is at this point, through this approach, that the Art-Sauna experience begins.
The path leads visitors to a cozy, discreet porch that prepares them for what lies beyond. The entire journey, both indoors and outdoors, is defined by the constant presence of the Finnish landscape, framing privileged views through an architecture of natural and artificial stone walls that act as a shelter and backdrop for the artwork specially commissioned for this project. Great care went into how the construction integrates with the ground. Retaining walls shape the interior spaces and create “patios” that act as mediators, where light, views, and art unexpectedly embrace visitors along their journey.
The design consciously broke away from the traditional layout of directly connecting the changing rooms and the sauna room (both indoor spaces). Instead, visitors are guided through a singular, surprising space: an outdoor vestibule, a patio resembling the atrium of a Roman domus. This patio leads to the cylindrical building that houses the sauna room itself—conceived as a temple.
Due to its geometry, the interior of the sauna temple offers an intimate atmosphere of community and belonging. The interior features delicate details, such as wooden profiles that simultaneously define the seating and cladding, with views opening up to art and nature, set against the backdrop of the lake and the horizon. The large terrace is enclosed on three sides, either by the building or by the surrounding nature, opening up completely toward the nearby lake.
The terrace is permanently anchored by the “Candela Table.” This piece was specially designed in memory of Spanish architect Félix Candela, who elegantly combined geometry and statics in spatial structures supported by a single central point. The Candela Table is crafted from the same material used on the building's facades: precast concrete pieces that, through their surface treatment, abstractly enhance the simplicity of its architectural geometry.
Back inside, the lounge area embodies a cozy, highly domestic atmosphere. While maintaining the scale of a home, this space offers the versatility to accommodate different setups, ranging from small individual tables to a single long table for up to 30 people.
The lounge is covered by a unique system of four wooden vaults, carefully crafted to provide continuity and spaciousness, seamlessly embracing and linking the different areas. This fluidity contrasts with an 8-meter-long window that horizontally frames the landscape, unexpectedly bringing it into the interior atmosphere.
The dining area is supported by a kitchen, a wine-tasting area around a circular table specially designed for flexible arrangements, and a living area next to the fireplace. Located next to the terrace, this fireplace serves a double purpose by also opening toward outdoor activities.
Area: 310 m2, 1,200 m2 (landscape)
Client: Serlachius Art Foundation
Location: Mänttä, Finland
Project Architects
Mendoza Partida: Mara Partida, Héctor Mendoza
BAX studio: Boris Bezan
Local Partner
Planetary Architecture Oy: Pekka Pakkanen, Anna Kontuniemi
Mendoza Partida Team: Oscar Espinosa, Sereine Tremblay, Marc Sánchez, Alejandro Álvarez, Germán Bosch, Olga Bombac
Landscape Architecture: Gretel Hemgård
Art Curator: Laura Kuurne
Interior Design: Rafael Berengena Maynegre
Photographs: Marc Goodwin, Archmospheres
This article was written by Agustina Iñiguez. The translation is powered by AI.
