Still Blue
Interior Entry Perspective
Interior Bath Perspective
Still Blue is a Spa that features the meditative properties of water. The program includes a public bath, rehydration space, sauna, rain shower, various changing rooms, and lounges. For this project we were provided a site in Pullman, WA that featured an agricultural shed, silo and river. Pullmans high precipitation and access to water on the site provided the opportunity to harness the water and create a unique experience for the residents of Pullman.
The site has a silo and agricultural shed that speaks to the farming history of Pullman. This posed a special constraint to the project because it brought up the challenge of reusing the available structure. Additionally the site experiences floods up to 4ft each spring which requires design that will mitigate loses or prevent erosion.
To address these challenges I propose taking the structural system and materials of the original shed and reusing them in a form that collects water. My design embraces the flooding by standing directly over the river and being elevated render the program still usable. Water filters and a large roof system are utilized to harness water.
It is still important to respect the original site which I present in the form of ornamentation and better circulation. The roof is ornamented with the original footprint of the river and train tracks along the site. The footprint of where the shed once was is now turned into a pond. And there is a better path system throughout the site so that people have better perspectives of the land.
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Site Plan
The original Agricultural shed sat near the waters edge. When flooding occurs each spring the water reaches all the way to the highway with a depth up to 4 feet rendering the shed unusable. In comparison the spa is raised and overlooks the river creating a larger distance to the highway to help with sound and better defined view.
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Diagrams:
The original structure on the site was an agricultural shed meant to protect the equipment or produce in the interior. The shed was meant to diverge water whereas my design is meant to collect water. This defined my reasoning behind the changes I made to the original shed structure and topography of the site.
On the second floor a semi private rain shower, lounge, and public changing room can be found. The showers are meant to replicate the feeling of standing in the rain and focus on the meditative properties of water. The showers are separated stalls using curtains and half walls with opaque windows overlooking the bath. The walls and stair railings throughout the space are ornamented using panels representing the shape of falling water or rain. The shape of train tracks are also ornamented on the floors to pay respect to the train tracks that were originally on the site.
1st Floor
The 1st floor circulation includes 2 available entrances that connects both sides of the river harboring connection in the Pullman community. There is also a central staircase in the highest traffic area to emphasize the 2nd floor lounge and showers. A public cold plunge bath, semi private changing rooms, rehydration bar, and lounge are also found on this level. The baths being on the first floor have immediate access to the water circulation of the river, and the rehydration bar has a central view overlooking the oncoming river.
2nd Floor
West Section
Multiple levels and an elevated first floor not only define the experience of this building but also make use of the local water systems. Winters in Pullman are snowy with heavy precipitation leading to melting in the spring that causes mass flooding. This structure has an elevated first floor to mitigate damage during floods while the bath system is still level with the river in order to collect from the stream. The double roof system acts as a shield of privacy from surrounding businesses while also collecting rain water that is filtered into the 1st and 2nd floors.
South Section
