A place of healing with water: ritual of reconnecting
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Date
2022
Authors
Esplin, Elzette
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Healing was identified as the focus of this project by considering the advantages of water, light and nature, and using architecture to create a therapeutic setting through the theory of phenomenology. How can architecture help to re-engage man with his environment and spark a dialogue between the human body and the constructed world for a therapeutic experience? The options for a therapeutic atmosphere of a bathhouse in South African architecture are limited to hospitals and spas. Research indicates that this therapeutic environment is thriving in first-world countries. Most South Africans are, however, unfamiliar with the term “bathhouse” and the therapeutic value of such an environment. The proposal is therefore a Healing and Wellness Sanctuary concentrated around a bathhouse. A restaurant, relaxing pools, baths, and therapeutic gardens were all designed after researching what would be feasible in the South African context. After analysing several precedent studies of bathhouses from various cultures, the common denominator of these theoretical approaches was phenomenology. Further studies of architects’ design philosophies were applied, and featured in the design of the bathhouse in Vanderbijlpark. A bathhouse is characterised by social connections and therapeutic value, and provides the opportunity for the re-engagement of man and the environment.
Description
Dissertation (M.Arch. (Architecture))--University of the Free State, 2022