Derby Floating Sauna

2021 AIA National Commendation for Small Project Architecture

2021 AIA TAS Chapter Peter Wilmott Award for Small Project Architecture

On a lake, in a small North East Tasmanian town, floats a sauna.

Derby, once a booming tin mining town, then almost ghost town, is now home to Tasmania’s world class mountain biking trails.

Leaving your shoes on the shore and crossing a small bridge, guests can store their bikes and get changed before soaking in the heat of the timber-lined sauna. Taking cues from Derby’s contrasting history of boom and bust (then fortunately boom again) two black and white gable sheds sit quietly against the dramatic backdrop of quarry cliffs and rainforest. A charred timber exterior clads the sauna, contrasting against the light-filled shed where changing silhouettes are cast upon the Ampelite cladding.

The buildings float together in the landscape, offering a unique opportunity for isolation and relaxation. The floating sauna is a place of stillness and recovery - immerse yourself in the landscape, take a plunge in the lake before retreating back into the soothing warmth.

Photography by Anjie Blair