future cities lab

Thermaespheres

Public Pavilion
Athens, Greece, 2011

Thermaespheres is a proposal for a public thermal bath and event pavilion facing the sea. It contains three distinct microclimates – the “caldarium” (hot), the “tepidarium” (warm) and the “frigidarium” (cold). These three intersecting domed spaces are surrounded by a light-weight shade canopy that serves as an urban threshold, public promenade, solar energy collector and microclimate generator. The structural system was developed through a series of catenary experiments that describe the structural and microclimatic performance of the canopy. 

Project Team: Ripon DeLeon [Project Manager], Amanda Chang, Rachel Kao [Interns]
Special Thanks: Elliot Larson and Arum Ahn