A new bath house in Birmingham will offer high quality public and private bathing in the converted cellars of a Grade II Listed building, which dates from the 19th century and is typical of industrial buildings within the Jewellery Quarter.
As part of recent works to refurbish the building, our brief has been to create design proposals that gain listed building consent and change of use for the lower ground areas of the building. The aim is to compliment the mix of uses, residential and workplace, on the upper levels with a new commercial bath house, including spa, steam room (hammam), plunger and mineral pool, treatment rooms and café.
The new bath house will utilise the historic cellars of the building to natural effect, repairing the walls and creating spaces that take advantage of the curvilinear basement structures of the heritage building. An interior design strategy has been proposed that leaves brick walls exposed, whilst creating complimentary surface juxtapositions of stone, terracotta and ceramic tiles, alongside white painted timber, and natural planting. Great care has been taken to maximise the impact of natural light in the subterranean spaces, by opening up all the available foot level windows at pavement level.
The client is keen to create a multicultural interpretation of the traditional bath house, celebrating wellness procedures from a variety of cultures, spanning from Japanese onsen, to Moroccan hammam and Nordic steam banya. The curvilinear forms of the basement arches can be seen reflected here in the form of the plunge pool. Curved lines and a neutral material palette contribute to the tranquility of the bath house.
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