Client Woodbury University
Instructor Julie Riley
Location La Cañada Flintridge, CA
Program Bath House [Adaptive Re-use/Addition]
Size 14,000 ft²
With Blue Bubble Bath, I worked on an addition to a big box movie theater. My section of the class was given several programs to choose from relating to municipal and public services that could benefit the local community, and I grew intrigued by the idea of the bath house and where it stands within the American vernacular.
Public hygiene is incredibly important, especially within the context of a metropolitan landscape with a large homeless population. However, far more common is the luxury spa, since that is what is profitable. Bath houses are left with an ironic “dirty” reputation due to their clientele more than anything else. Blue Bubble Bath combines both of these ideas into one unified program; it is designed to serve people that want an elevated spa-like experience with the garden pool, saunas, and of course the baths, while at the same time serving the community with free access to showers.
Effort was made to merge these two programs, that some might argue are conflicting on a practical level. A harmony was achieved through analysis of precedence, along with diagramming possible zone relationships and circulation strategies.
