Date: August 30, 2007
Pioneering Design
I first came across BAD (The Bath) on a Rotterdam Harbourside. The odd looking structure was part of the FollyDock exhibition, a showcase of architectural objects built just for fun. But after watching it spring into life, and speaking with the creators, SMAQ, it's clear there is more to the BAD than just pleasure alone. In this age of energy saving measures, who wouldn't want to enjoy a solar powered hot-tub!
BAD is made from a garden hose - about one kilometre long - that holds enough water to fill the beautifully designed wooden tub. The hydrant is then “plugged into” the nearest water-source (in this case the harbour) and allowed to stand for around 2 hours. Arranged in countless loops, the elastic hose forms the surface of a screen that catches the sun, thus slowly heating the water in the hose. The water in the hose then fills a bowl that fits up to two people. Double fun! Afterwards the water is released to irrigate the surroundings.
SMAQ was founded by architects Sabine Müller and Andreas Quednau, and is a studio for architecture, urbanism and research based in Berlin and Rotterdam.
SMAQ explains “ BAD explores ways of inhabiting and interpreting the urbanized landscape, based on infrastructural realities and leisure conventions. In the process it exploits an every-day practice and extrapolates the material characteristics of the required infrastructure into ornamental architecture.” Other designs have included the "Pick your own strawberries" initiative to facilitate vegetations strips between highways as well as an idea to cover the parking lot of the Dodger's Stadium with swimming pools and a Skiing range.
Although it looks high tech, the bath is actually very easy to construct, and the whole process took less than a month while at the Schloss Solitiude, an art residency and gallery in Stuttgart. 
To see more images of the construction diary, go here.
Part of the design includes using the piping as an ad-hoc changing room. BAD has proved popular. It won second prize in the Environmental Tectonics Competition sponsored by the Architectural Association (London) in connection with the Environments, Ecology and Sustainability Research Cluster. Now we can only wait to see if it receives commercial backing, and replace all those energy guzzling electric spas. Club of Pioneers will keep you posted.
All images from SMAQ
BAD is made from a garden hose - about one kilometre long - that holds enough water to fill the beautifully designed wooden tub. The hydrant is then “plugged into” the nearest water-source (in this case the harbour) and allowed to stand for around 2 hours. Arranged in countless loops, the elastic hose forms the surface of a screen that catches the sun, thus slowly heating the water in the hose. The water in the hose then fills a bowl that fits up to two people. Double fun! Afterwards the water is released to irrigate the surroundings.
SMAQ was founded by architects Sabine Müller and Andreas Quednau, and is a studio for architecture, urbanism and research based in Berlin and Rotterdam.
SMAQ explains “ BAD explores ways of inhabiting and interpreting the urbanized landscape, based on infrastructural realities and leisure conventions. In the process it exploits an every-day practice and extrapolates the material characteristics of the required infrastructure into ornamental architecture.” Other designs have included the "Pick your own strawberries" initiative to facilitate vegetations strips between highways as well as an idea to cover the parking lot of the Dodger's Stadium with swimming pools and a Skiing range.
Although it looks high tech, the bath is actually very easy to construct, and the whole process took less than a month while at the Schloss Solitiude, an art residency and gallery in Stuttgart.
Part of the design includes using the piping as an ad-hoc changing room.
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