The Docks Govan bath house
Nikola Macháčová AB419 4B
tiles and patterns
content site Govan Graving Docks history survey
research social role of baths in European history social role of baths in East-Asian cultures bathing procedures case studies
strategy site analysis site approach concept
project development first proposals initial sketches structure change of the building’s position details
design circulation floor plans sections
technology structure energy
site
Govan Graving Docks “The River Clyde defines Glasgow. It is a source of commerce, transport and entertainment. There has been a bridge over the river since the 1200s.” (The People’s Palace)
Glasgow used to be the second most significant city of the British Empire with Govan and the river Clyde as the centre of world’s shipbuilding industry. The economical decline has not only caused unemployment and social issues, but also loss of identity and contact with the greatest heritage.
Industrial past is Govan’s biggest potential with countrywide importance, but the attitude towards it seems unclear. Rundown sites, leftover spaces and solitude buildings contribute to the quarter’s desolate atmosphere, the riverside lacks facilities, maintenance and sense of place.
The three graving docks are abandoned and not accessible for the public, the site is enclosed by fences with barbed wire, stained by vandalism and neglect.
Glasgow is not the only city struggling with the remains of its industrial past. Cities all over the United Kingdom tranform their warehouses, factories and docks into centres of culture, knowledge, housing and leisure: The Docklands in London, Albert’s Dock in Liverpool or The Quays in Manchester just to name a few.
history of Govan Graving Docks
Since the 18th century, Govan’s importance grew thanks to the river - trade with America led to the deepening of Clyde and incredibly fast growth during the Industrial revolution. Thriving shipbuilding indrusty attracted many immigrants from Ireland and Scotland and Glasgow shortly became globally important. The docks construction, commissioned by James Deas, the Chief Engineer of the Clyde Navigation Trust, was completed on 27th April 1898.
No. 1 and No. 3 dry docks were the deepest dry docks in Britain when opened. They could accommodate the largest ships in the world of the time and were used to repair and refit the ship’s bottoms.
The area closed in late 1980s and remains abandoned. A local initiative attempts to draw attention to the site, carries out surveys and wants to convert the docks into a maritime education park.
Waverley, built in 1946 and nationally preserved, is the last seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world, still operating trips with Glasgow being its home port.
survey in Govan carried out by The Clyde Docks Preservation Initiative in January 2016
36%
93%
for restoring of the old for restoring at least one dock pumphouse to the working order to the working order
84%
for creating a tourist attraction to bring visitors into the area
253 participants also mentioned: - lack of facilities in the area - link bridge with the Science Centre - outdoor heated swimming pool - ships in the docks with bars or restaurants - leisure centre
77%
for completing a pedestrian thoroughfare along the waterfront
92%
against permanent building at the street edge
92%
against housing development
site perception The docks are a preserved heritage, filled with values and memories of the past.
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preserved stairs into the docks not accesible due to the water level
1 timeless and calming elegant shapes of the docks
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sandstone pumphouse with preserved steel rafters and traces of vandalism
preserved bowards, capstans, cobble stones
6 hand carved grey granite
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Riverside Museum
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Science centre
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research
the social role of baths in European history Up to the 21st century, baths were mostly an important place for socializing and social mixing.
Roman Empire
The Middle Ages
The Enlightement
Industrial revolution
The Roman’s perception of baths is apparent even in the ground plans. The three main rooms - calidarium, tepidarium, frigidarium - with high ceilings evoke the idea of a dreamworld, while plenty of transition spaces in between support the ritual nature of baths and offer many intimate corners for conversation with wine and food as well as generous rooms and outdoor spaces made for sports, massages, performances or even lectures. Desired sweating and blood circulation were achieved by different temperatures in specific order. The Romans believed (and were not wrong) that hygiene, exercise, massage and good diet are the keys to good health. And since healthy individuals create a healthy society, the Roman baths were not a luxury for the wealthy few, but an everyday meeting place for everyone.
Later on, Christianity tabooed the body’s needs and hygiene. For hundreds of years, the European bathing customs didn’t change. Even though personal hygiene was carried out more often than we tend to think, it still took place in private bedrooms, and bathing parlours were considered sinful places or leprosy refuges.
In 18th century, the public opinion started shifting towards positive health effects of bathing, daily hygiene, cold water and remedial springs used in some neighborhoods. At the end of the century, first soap manufacturies emerged. After The Enlightenment, baths came back to society in the form of health and seaside resorts, with big gaming rooms and balls for the aristocracy.
With the Industrial revolution, rapid urbanization and worsening living conditions of the working class, the provision of bathing facitilies was not only a question of public happiness, but also public health. Swimming pools as we know them emerged in the 19th century to prevent the spread of diseases, the first modern public baths were opened in Liverpool and public wash houses became common meeting places of the working class community. Hydrotherapy was also introduced in the Austrian Empire by Vincenz Priessnitz and hot Turkish baths had found their way into Britain.
social role of baths in East-Asian cultures
20th century
Today
Jjimjilbang
Sento
At the beginning of 20th century, a weekly bath took place usually on Saturday after the week of hard work. Shared standpipes and outside lavatories were common, one bath tub of hot water was used by the whole family in most cases. As indoor plumbing and commercials became common, the idea of daily personal hygiene spread and cleanliness became an unseparable parts of our comfort and social status. Introduction of bathing suits and especially bikini played an important role in the social revolution of the youth. Days off by the sea or at the lido became popular leisure activities and the social role of bathing was taken outdoors.
Thanks to technology and infrastructure, hygiene has become one of the most intimate part of our lives. Public bathing facilities are visited mainly for burning calories, easing health problems, maintaining personal image or „taking time for ourselves“ in luxury spa resorts. What role could a bath house play in modern society? Could a bath house clean not only its visitors, but its environment and society as well?
The Korean culture is based on colectiveness far more than the Western one and public baths play an important role. Jjimjilbangs are a social tool for meeting and spending time with fellow citizens of various age and backgrounds. It is even a common group activitity for a Friday night and a cheap alternative to a hotel. Being naked with strangers is considered normal and so is spending the night in a big room full of people, watching TV and sleeping on the floor.
Similarly as in Korea, Japanese traditional baths are communal, but the genders have separate sections. Water from hot springs is often used (Onsen) and the size varies from huge park-like complexes to traditional small local houses, whose number tends to decrease as househoulds have their own bathrooms now. But since the Japanese believe in the connection of physical and emotional wellbeing, Sento remains popular and irreplaceable by private bathrooms.
bathing procedures
Roman baths The Roman baths were a centre of sport, culture, beauty and pleasure, but most of all hygiene. Excercise was recommended before a bath, not a competitive one, but rather to get the body fluids running and achieve light sweating. After undressing in the changing rooms, the visitor entered tepidarium, a warm bath also used for massages, depilation and cleaning with oil. It was the biggest a busiest of all the spaces. To open the pores, he then entered a caldarium, hot bath with 37,7°C and 100% humidity to open the pores. For more intesive sweating, the process could also be complimented by several saunas. The final step was frigidarium, a cold bath to close the pores.
hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy in its broadest meaning involves any beneficial effects of water on the human body: excercising in water and swimming, massages with water streams, underwater pressure or whirpools, carbon or oxygen baths and others. It is wholesome mainly for ain relief and patients with temporary disabilities or motoric difficulties. Some of the hydrotherapy prosedures such as boddy massages with water streams and jacuzzi are often available in usual spa resorts and combined with traditional massages.
spa therapy Hydrotherapy sometimes takes place in mineralized water which is believed to have special effects on the human body. In many countries around the world, spa cities have formed around mineral springs or peat areas and a few weeks long stay can even be prescribed by a doctor. The effects of minerals absorbed through the skin are often debated, however, psychological effects of a spa stay are indisputable. In Europe, they even used to play a very important role in one’s social status and bussiness connections.
saunas and steam rooms Both saunas and steam rooms use extremely high temperatures to induce heavy perspiration, blood circulation, pain relief, skin purification and even immunity improvements. The difference lies in humidity: while the air in saunas is very dry, steam rooms can have even 100% humidity and make it easier to breathe. In some cultures, saunas play a very important spiritual and social role: a sauna for example usually was the only warm place in a Finnish village and was therefore visited even for giving birth.
study cases
hierarchy, order and scale of spaces
living the heritage
industrial typology and entertainment
structure
The Caracalla Baths in Rome
DolnĂ VĂtkovice by Josef Pleskot
Funpalace by Cedric Price
Art Center College of Design by Craig Ellwood
strategy
site analysis The site isn’t a part of the surrounding urban pattern. It has its own geometry and character and used to serve a specific purpose which is now lost and needs to be re-discovered.
site approach Two projects are proposed in our studio for the two different parts of Govan Graving Docks: Craftsmanship centre with a park in the western part with more greenery and landscape opportunities; and the bath house in the eastern part, above the three dry graving docks.
concept The bath house is a new layer, touching the preserved surface just slightly. It provides views and access to the docks and supports activity by facilities. When walking down the slope towards the main entrance, the structure feels as a gate to the docks. The building is assembled of prefabricated components; industrial language revives memories, but is filled with leisure.
crafts centre
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project development
initial sketches
first proposals
structure
change of the building’s position
details
design
elevation The docks used to be dry. My approach towards each one of them varies according to the activity in the building above. The first two docks are dry as they used to be and I also use the entrances currently flooded with water. The largest dock underneath the gym works as an oudoor sports facility and the middle one underneath the pool is transformed into wild gardens. But the dock no. 1 has stairs which won’t be affected by water - therefore I’ve left it flooded and decided to place the legendary Waverley cruise ship in it.
gym
sport
entrance changing rooms
pool
garden
spa
baths
water
therapy
plant room
circulation The building touches ground only with its columns and the glazed entrance with reception, cafe, shop, office and toilets. Two flights of stairs and two elevators lead up to the changing rooms on the third floor, where most of the activity takes place. With the dry and dirty gym on one side and baths on the other, these two parts of the building don’t mix.
physiotherapy massage
baths
spa
wet
pool
dry
changing rooms access to garden
to male changing rooms to female changing rooms
gym
cafĂŠ shop office access to outdoor sport facilities
first floor 1:200 The building is carefully placed in between the old staircases leading down to docks. When walking down the entrance slope, it feels as a gate to the historic site, and one can continue to Science Museum via the newly built bridge or stop and have a cup of coffee in the glazed entrance area - and maybe even spontaneiously buy a swimmsuit in the shop and explore the rest of the building.
B’
C’
D’
E’
F’
5 8 2 1
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C
D
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1 reception 2 shop 3 café 4-5 storage 6-8 plant rooms
second floor 1:200 The building creates a continuos line accross the docks with its simple shape, complemented by subtle landscape interventions on the site’s surface. From the bath gardens, one can see the water through openings in the pool’s floor.
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16 15
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18 13 12
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9 café 10 office 11 female toilets 12 disabled toilets 13 male toilets
14 female toilets 15 kitchen 16 male toilets 17-19 terrace 20 pool
section A-A’ 1:200 Walking through the building’s corridors is an unsual experience itself. With views over the river Clyde and the old docks, one can wander around and access various spaces which are, on the contrary, very enclosed with ambient lighting. The journey through this building is based on this contrast: glazed and open halls exposed to the environment vs. intimate baths allowing visitors to pay attention to themselves only.
plant room
therapy
baths
water
spa
pool
garden
changing rooms
entrance
gym
sport
third floor 1:200 The simple and rational structure defines the corridors, while the more intimate and enclosed spaces hang in between them.
B’
C’
D’
E’
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37
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F’
28 24
26 30
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B
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20 pool 21-22 utility rooms 23-24 shoe rack area 25 female changing room 26 male changing room 27 female showers
F
28 male showers 29 female toilets 30 male toilets 31 corridor 32 gym 33 staircase
34 35 36 37 38 39
resting area saunas, steam rooms jacuzzi, water massage tepidarium 34°C caldarium 40°C frigidarium 18°C
40 staircase 41-43 massage rooms 43-44 physiotherapy rooms
section B-B’ 1:200 Steel industrial silos of two sizes are transformed into three bathing spaces inspired by the Roman baths: warm tepidarium with 34°C, hot caldarium with 40°C and cold frigidarium with 18°C. The steel silo is insulated on the inside, sprayed with torkret fine-grained concrete and placed on steel beams which transfer the load to the megastructure.
section C-C’ 1:200 The steel beams create column colonnades with a resting area in between, where visitors can lay on deckchairs, get refreshed with drinking water, enjoy views over the docks or access the saunas, Roman baths, bath gardens down below and various hydrotherapy and physiotherapy rooms.
section D-D’ 1:200 The swimming pool is the most challenging part of the structure. Its load hangs on three beams and visitors walking underneath in bath gardens can enjoy the view through openings in the pool’s floor.
section E-E’ 1:200 The entrance area is glazed space with several options to sit, drink coffee or buy nessesary swimming equipment. Visitors can access toilets and seating on the second floor or directly head to the changing rooms upstairs.
section F-F’ 1:200 Physical excercise takes place in the gym, a simple open space which spans across the biggest dock filled with activity. Visitors can access it through outdoor stairs leading to old passage to the docks, which has been made accesible.
dock no.1 section model
dock no.3 section model
technology
load-bearing structure Two main structural elements of the megastructure are steel column and a beam with welded joints.
Overall dimensions of the steel frame are 160 and 30 metres. Above the biggest dock, the 4m high beams span the longest distance of 40m.
hallways Floors and ceilings of the hallways are carried by steel beams welded into the truss structure.
gym
family of objects Various spaces are inserted into the structure and clad in corrugated metal. Their load is carried by custom made beams. changing rooms
pool
spa baths massage therapy
entrance
pool structure connection 1:20 The weight of the pool is carried by seven custom made steel beams welded onto the megastracture. They are poured over with concrete, insulated and clad with corrugated metal from the outside and tiles from the inside. The air conditioning tubes are hanging exposed from the ceiling and the building is heated through the floor.
shading Automatic shutters shade the sun during the day and reduce heat loss during the night.
column anchorage 1:20
stairs
Columns are the only part of the steel megastructure in contact with the sandstone surface.
Steel stairs are hanging down to the ground, but not touching it. They are made of perforated metal sheets and the load is carried by steel beams. The railing is simple and elegant.
energy Given the extreme year-long demands for water and air temperatures and for powering the water technologies, the energy concept was designed with consideration of the environment.
http://www.powerbycogen.com
https://passipedia.org
http://theearthproject.com/biomass/
cogeneration
CHP and bath houses
biomass CHP Plant
water source heat pumps
CHP (Combined Heat and Power, sometimes called Cogeneration) means production of electricity and heat at the same time. Along with the far smaller carbon print and overall efficiency around 80%, it also benefits from decentralized energy supply – both electricity and heat are being made at the point of use.
CHPs often produce higher amount of heat than needed which must be therefore appropriately stored, but swimming pools easily exhaust the supply with their extreme heat and power demands. CHP makes the building less dependent on expensive grid electricity and also greener with reduced energy consumption.
Solar energy embedded in biomass (such as wood) is available in almost limitless supply and can be stored for several years. In biomass fuelled dynamos, wood chips or pellets are being burnt on a burner head in thermal oil boiler and the heat is then transferred via heat exchangers, while the attached generator produces electricity.
Water has high heat capacity, it absorbs and delivers heat easily. Water heat pump can recover the solar energy stored naturally in river water – it extracts low grade heat and returns water to the river with a temperature change of 3-5°C. In pursuance of decarbonisation of UK’s heating systems, the Government has a target of 4.5 million heat pumps across Britain. Extracted heat form river water can contribute several degrees to the secondary pool circuit.
Usually, gas fuelled combustion engine is connected to electric generator which produces electricity as the engine spins. Heat from the engine’s cooling system, oil and exhaust gases is captured by heat exchangers and then connected to the building’s heating system instead of being wasted, for example released to environment through cooling towers.
reference: Sunderland Aquatics Operational since May 2008; Carbon Savings of 539 tonnes equivalent to planting 53,900 trees. Typical savings under the DEP scheme of £31,548 per annum, when utilising all the heat and operating 17 hours per day.
reference: Market Drayton Heat pump driven by a 60HP electric motor and working on refrigeration on reverse heats the 50m public pool in Shropshire. It contributes 6 or 7°C to the pool circuit at 25% normal fuel costs.
plant room in the old pumphouse annual CO2 reduction compared to fossil fuels estimated around 40 000 tonnes
residual heat from steam turbine used for water indoor heating
gas cleaning
electricity generator biomass goes to the combustion chamber via conveyor belts
heat exchanger combustion chamber
high pressure steam boiler
steam turbine
feedwater accumulator of the cooled liquid
air conditioning heat recovery unit extracting waste heat from stale air
warm water to pool hot condenser gives up heat to pool water
10°C water pumped from the river
compressor with pump cold evaporator collects warmth from river water 5°C water back to the river
fresh air intake stale air exhaust