S(l)OSH Pop-Up – Spa of Algorithmic Knowledge and Mud-

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Project Summary

S(l)OSH (standing for ‘ slosh= to move through mud’) is a new Pop-Up Spa situated in Hackney Road, in East London. It is designed as an interactive relaxation area to be experienced through exploring and reflecting within a cavernous space, surrounded by mysterious voids, while soaking in a healing mud tub. S(l)OSH represents a new concept of fun mud house, that tells a different side of the wellness story.

The Spa aims to promote the cleaning and health rituals around the world and invite the users to become aware of the areas in need of healthy kickstarts. The new concept started from the idea that spas and relaxation areas are generally luxurious places to relax and heal and sometimes they are too expensive for the general citizen. S(l)OSH wants to bring healthy hedonism to the city while boosting urban areas that need a little support, while making the cleaning and health rituals accessible and fun to everyone.

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Philosophy

Bathhouses, spas and saunas have long been part of cleaning and health rituals around the world. Mud baths have existed for thousands of years, and can be found now in high-end spas in many countries of the world. Mud wraps are spa treatments where the skin is covered in mud for a shorter or longer period. The mud causes sweating, and proponents claim that mud baths can slim and tone the body, hydrate or firm the skin, or relax and soothe the muscles. It is alleged that some mud baths are able to relieve tired and aching joints, ease inflammation, or help to “flush out toxins” through sweating.2aOpportunity

The design is composed of layers of horizontal wooden planks that follow the mathematical formula of a Scherk’s Minimal Surface geometry of a continuous surface, placed in and around a shipping container. The Spa has been designed after several form manipulation and shape iterations of the initial system, followed by massing of standard bath tubs in a tight space. The proposal stands somewhere between the realms of both sculpture and architecture – a spatial construct where movement through will encourage intimate social interaction, and a full emerge into the relaxation experience.

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Physical Description

Visually, the main part of the Spa is composed of three main areas: the reception, the mud baths and the outdoor pools. The spas includes hot mud tubes, cold water plunges, a changing area, shower and relaxation platforms. The structure will be built from layers of horizontal CNC cut wooden planks stacked on top of each other and fixed together. Internally, the bathtubes will have a smooth concrete walls to hold the liquid and make the stay more pleasant for the sitting. Despite being designed to fit in one or two containers, the spa can expand even outdoors and other spaces.

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WeWantToLearn.net at Burning Man 2015

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I will learn.” Xun Kuang (312-230 BC)

WeWantToLearn.net at Burning Man 2015 – A video by Freddie Barrie

“We believe that Architecture should be fun and in giving our students the opportunity to build projects in the real world. We want them to dare to be naïve, curious, and enthusiastic,  to think like makers and to act like entrepreneurs, creating an architecture of joy. Burning Man is the playground for our dreams.” Toby Burgess and Arthur Mamou-Mani, DS10 Studio Leaders, University of Westminster

Team: Toby Burgess and Arthur Mamou-Mani (tutors), Tobias Power (Designer of The Infinity Tree), Jon Leung (Designer of Bismuth Bivouac), Lorna Jackson (Designer of reflection), Maialen Calleja, Andrei Jipa, Josh Potter, Aaron Porterfield, Aigli Tsirogianni, Alex Fotherby, Andrew K Green, Ben Brakspear, Ben lloyd Goldstein, Charlotte Chambers, Deepak Krasner, Eira Mooney, Eliana Stenning, Elizabeth Ripps, Felix Thiodet, Garis Iu, Jack Hardy, Jasmine Low, Jon Goodbun, Lianne Clark, Maria Sobrino, Martin Brien, Matthew Lee, Michelle Tanya Barratt, Neale Shutler, Phil Olivier, Ricky Chandi, Sarah Stell, Toby Plunkett, Tom Jelley, Elan laplain, Innes Shelley, Jake Spruyt, James Abbott, Jasper Sauve, Joe Leach, Julian Sauve, Klina Jordan, Joshua de Matteo, Maria Vergopoulou, Kris Leung, Ben Metcalfe-Penny, Willem Ossorio, Sebastian Sauve, Tim Hornsby, Tim Martin

Engineers: Format Engineering (The Infinity Tree and Bismuth Bivouac) Price & Myers (Reflection)

Special Thanks: BettieJune Scarborough, Ben Stoelting, Brody Scotland, DaveX, Harry Charrington, Thomas Ermacora, Betty Lam and to all our Kickstarter Backers.

Here are some stills extracted from the video:

 

 

 

Gender Difference

As part of international woman’s day I’m exploring differences between males and females in relation to the built environment in order to inform my final project. It only takes two minutes to complete and will directly influence the design progression.

https://sites.google.com/site/genderpreference/

Some examples of questions found in the survey can be found below:

tetrachromacy

material preferencetimber shapes proximity

Many Thanks

Image : Jan Gehl, How to Study Public Life, http://www.blogadilla.com/2008/06/08/are-you-a-tetrachromat/

FINAL PORTFOLIO REVIEW

The academic year is almost over, the graduation show and prize ceremony is in two weeks. Toby and I just assessed everyone’s portfolios with the help of other tutors from Westminster. This is a very stimulating day in which all the studios’ year-long student work is seen and its diversity revealed. Students could not be part of the process and witness the efforts and beauty of the some of the work so here it is, a little selection of some of our most creative portfolios this year:

Georgua Rose Colard-Watson - Temple for Love - Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Georgua Rose Colard-Watson – Temple for Love – Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Georgua Rose Colard-Watson - Temple for Love - Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Georgua Rose Colard-Watson – Temple for Love – Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Georgua Rose Colard-Watson - Temple for Love - Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Georgua Rose Colard-Watson – Temple for Love – Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Luka Kreze's Temple for the revolution in Tahrir Square
Luka Kreze’s Temple for the revolution in Tahrir Square
Luka Kreze's Temple for the revolution in Tahrir Square
Luka Kreze’s Temple for the revolution in Tahrir Square
Dhiren Patel's Temple to Chakras on the Mount Meru
Dhiren Patel’s Temple to Chakras on the Mount Meru
Dhiren Patel's Temple to Chakras on the Mount Meru
Dhiren Patel’s Temple to Chakras on the Mount Meru
Jacob Alsop's Temple to Bees and Wax Experiments
Jacob Alsop’s Temple to Bees and Wax Experiments
Michael Clarke - Temple to Making and WikiVault
Michael Clarke – Temple to Making and WikiVault
Michael Clarke - Temple to Making and WikiVault
Michael Clarke – Temple to Making and WikiVault
Josh Haywood - Monastic and Prison Cells
Josh Haywood – Monastic and Prison Cells
Mihail Andrei-Jipa - A Temple to Infinity - Inhabitable Fractals
Mihail Andrei-Jipa – A Temple to Infinity – Inhabitable Fractals
William Garforth-Bless - Temple to Water ion the Thames
William Garforth-Bless – Temple to Water ion the Thames
Marilu Valente - Bio-Polymer's Temple
Marilu Valente – Bio-Polymer’s Temple
Philip Hurrel's Temple to the Transition Movement in Totness
Philip Hurrel’s Temple to the Transition Movement in Totness
Dan Dodds Temple to Illusion
Dan Dodds Temple to Illusion
Christopher Ingram - Village to Electro-Sensitivity
Christopher Ingram – Village to Electro-Sensitivity
Thanasis Korras - Memento Mori Temple - Winner of the Burning Man Festival Grant - Recursive Koch Structures
Thanasis Korras – Memento Mori Temple – Winner of the Burning Man Festival Grant – Recursive Koch Structures
Tim Clare - Temple to Knowledge
Tim Clare – Temple to Knowledge

Burning Man Art Grants

Toby and I are very very happy to announce that DS10 has won the Burning Man Art Grant twice with Georgia Rose-Collard’s project Shipwreck and Thanasis Korras’ Fractal Cult.

DS10 get ready, we are going to Nevada this summer!!!

burning man IKONOS
Burning Man Festival Satellite Image
Georgia Rose-Collard's Shipwreck
Georgia Rose-Collard’s Shipwreck
Thanasis Korras' Fractal Cult
Thanasis Korras’ Fractal Cult

We have recorded a joyful song for the occasion 😉 Yooohoooo