07 Sep 2016
Architects Toni Egger and Felix Tarantik transform ski gondolas into saunas
BY Kate Corney
German designers Toni Egger and Felix Tarantik are offering spas mobile saunas made from the aluminium shells of Swiss ski-lift gondolas.
The four to eight-person Saunagondel can withstand extreme weather conditions and are small and lightweight. “We both use saunas regularly,” says Egger. “It’s a cultural thing and it’s very healthy as it increases your core temperature so your body fights off germs and viruses.
“But the current style of saunas is very traditional. They have never been designed in a modern, simplistic, highquality way and are all lacking the sense of beauty we were looking for.”
Tarantik adds: “We were looking for a frame that could withstand extreme temperature changes. Ski gondolas are built for that: they’re indestructible.”
The sauna is fitted with custom-made silver fir wood interiors and a 4.5 kW or 6kW electric heater that can reach temperatures of 100?C (212?F).
With one installation planned at a Swiss wellness spa near the mountains of Graubündenin, and private users even adding the innovations to roof terraces and gardens, the applications for Saunagondels are wide and varied.
Close Window