In January 2015, the club inaugurated its new sauna, built on Helgoland’s 600 wooden piles: a new communal sauna with direct access to the sea for year-round swimming and a panoramic view of the Øresund.

A distinctive feature of the sauna is the curved, 10.5-meter-long wooden bench, crafted from slender ash slats. The bench’s seats vary and curve with radii ranging from two to nine meters—in total, there is room for more than 50 bathers on the sauna bench.

Architect Daniel Vium explains how important it was to create a sauna that offers space for both community and contemplation. The goal was to create a space where people feel at ease, and after thorough research and dialogue with Det Kolde Gys, they collaboratively arrived at the rounded, undulating shape.

The seaside location has also been a source of inspiration, as the sauna’s form draws on traditional boatbuilding techniques featuring curved wooden frames and no visible joints, screws, or mechanical components. In collaboration with H+ Arkitekter and Logik og Co., ABC served as the engineering consultant on the project, providing structural and energy consulting services.

Exciting timber structures were designed, including large Azobe beams.

On the energy front, it was a challenge to identify solutions that could meet the high energy requirements and sustainability standards.

The design of the sauna has been guided throughout by the principles of sustainability, as the building is constructed entirely from environmentally friendly materials with respect for the surrounding buildings. The sauna is built according to the Finnish sauna principle, where heat from above mixes with the air from the stoves and circulates throughout the room. This allows the heat to spread evenly throughout the entire space, ensuring consistent heat distribution everywhere.

The sauna is energy-optimized with efficient insulation and heat recovery, minimizing energy consumption as much as possible.