Why Sauna
Sauna is really something which is authentic to Finland. Practically every family has an own sauna, more than a million Finns even have two saunas: the second one mainly for recreational purposes in connection with their summer holiday villas.
We respect the sauna not only because of having an enjoyable bath there in but also because relaxation. That might mean for most of the Finns even a mental trip into an internal harmony, deep spiritual feeling of anti-stress enjoyment. It could be very close to the holy ceremony. For families, Saturday night with a Sauna is a weekly institution. Sauna is in many ways one of the key ceremonies in Finland. In business, some of the most important networks and decisions may be made in Sauna.
Kyly sauna in the Finland Pavilion
Sauna is an important place for Finns: not just a place for washing, but an opportunity for relaxation and personal reflection. The first version of Kyly-sauna, designed by Ville Hara and Anu Puustinen of Avanto Architects, won the sauna design competition of the Helsinki Furniture Fair in 2009. Built of timber, this space provides a setting for almost ritualistic sauna bathing and highlights its various stages: undressing, enjoying the heat, washing and cooling off.
Kyly is an old Karelian word and means sauna or bathing. The sauna is built by simply laying logs over each other, resulting in an intimate composition of several spaces. In the EXPO sauna the structure of the logs is hollow to keep the sauna as lightweight as possible and still keeping the feel of the timber. The air pocket inside each log works as insulation. Moreover the structure is easy to dismantle and to put up again for future use.
The sequence of spaces starts by stepping into a dimly lit, wooden sauna lounge from the ballyhoo of the surroundings. You undress in an enclosed dressing room. A shower space is set one step further. The most intimate space is uppermost - the sauna. A rich composition of spaces is created with very simple means. The smell, texture and acoustic properties of wood create a strong atmosphere - a calm wooden nest.
Kyly is a modern interpretation of a traditional log sauna. It represents both the timeless qualities and the contemporary concept of wellbeing.
Design: Avanto Architects Ltd; Ville Hara & Anu Puustinen, architects SAFA
Assistant: Jonna Käppi, architect ARB (UK), SAFA
Consultant of construction: Kari Virtanen, cabinetmaker
Kirnu's special sauna heater by IKI-Kiuas Ltd
IKI-Kiuas Ltd. has designed a special electric saunaheater, IKI CUBE, for the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The heater consists of 10 different stainless steel cubes which can be placed in almost any form, by allowing a unique set up of the heater in almost any form the customer wants. This allows architects a lot of freedom while designing the saunaroom.The finnish handmade heater is the only of a kind in the whole world.
IKI CUBE has in total 28kW power and 550kg of finnish saunastones. The large amount of stones guarantees a hefty oxygen-rich sauna experience, plenty of heat for those who like it hot and moist enough for everyone else to enjoy and relax in. The heater is surrounded by optical fibre lights manufactured by Cariitti.com, yet another finnish pioneer specialized in sauna lighting.
The sauna is located in the VIP area of the Finnish Pavilion being the only sauna in the entire World Expo area.
More information: Samuli Kerrman p. 0400 787 211 / samuli@ikikiuas.com
