Floating Bodies

“Floating Bodies” is a modest response to the individualisation of bathing in architectural design. It aims to rethink the role of bathing in existing housing typologies and offer floating facilities to people who need this restorative practice due to bodily conditions, like rheumatism.

According to the Swiss League against Rheumatism, over two million people in Switzerland, about 20% of the population, suffer from rheumatism to some degree, making it the most common disease in the country.

"Immersing myself in bodies of water is just one of many techniques I have experimented with to ease my chronic pain."

Abi Palmer in Sanatorium.

But how does one access this floating?

Letzigraben 6 is a low-income dwelling facing demolition as part of densification measures in Altstetten. Removing the narrow shower from the bathroom, and placing it on a balcony extension offers a new condition for people to clean their bodies, or for a carer to clean them. The new wet area creates an access to a floating space. Reserved for the inhabitants and the carers alike, this will be the heart of the project, to welcome social interactions and acts of care at the threshold between the commons and the domestic.