Principle sketch for Saunahaven with sauna, winter bathing and recovery garden. Sketch by Kenneth Balfelt Team based on Partisan's Grotto Sauna.

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Sustainable development mentally

SaunaHaven is the working title of the concept for a ‘mental recovery centre’ that fights against the rampant culture that causes us stress, among other things. It is a place that inspires preventive restorative activity and behavioural change through art, architecture, sauna, therapy garden, nature, winter swimming, education and cultural activities, in a new stress-reducing architectural and functional format. ​

 

A place that makes it attractive to strengthen and prevent mental health as part of daily life. An attractive destination with the ambition to become an integral part of our culture.

 

The concept will help create models for how we as a society can help create sustainable development and ‘sustainability’ for people, with a focus on citizens' ongoing mental health and preventive work with stress. ​

 

We believe that the concept should be incorporated in all our cities - initially as an inspiring prototype developed for and located in Copenhagen. 

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The project is developed in collaboration between visual artist Kenneth Balfelt and social urban developer Gitte Skarsholm from Kenneth Balfelt Team, cultural entrepreneur Johan August and art consultant Lars Rahbek. A formal collaboration on the development of programme content and sparring with the City of Copenhagen's Culture and Leisure Administration and Health and Care Administration has been formally established with support from the Danish Arts Foundation. 

 

Background to the programme  

The number of people suffering from stress is increasing rapidly. Many citizens are challenged by poor physical, social and mental health and the resulting reduced quality of life. 

 

 

The facts

• 1.45 million Danes (25.1%) have high stress levels

  • In Copenhagen 152,000 people (25.3%)

  • The proportion among 16-24 year old women is 40.5%, unemployed 47.0% and for early retirees 55.6%

• 500,000 Danes feel burnt out at work due to stress

• 1,400 Danes die every year from stress

• Sick leave - due to stress - costs DKK 27 billion annually 

  • In Copenhagen, DKK 2.8 billion

• Social costs of stress are DKK 14 billion annually 

  • In Copenhagen DKK 1.5 billion

 

Source: Stressforeningen and ‘The Health of Danes - The National Health Profile’ Danish Health Authority 2018

 

 

But despite this widespread prevalence of stress, the person suffering from stress and their surroundings typically only act when they have ‘gone down’. The biggest challenge of our time is therefore to recognise the need for recovery as a countermeasure to our overstimulation of the brain - and the lack of knowledge about what tools we can use for this. At the same time, there is a self-reinforcing and counterproductive effect in that the more stress hormones we produce, the more we need rest and recovery - and the harder it is to find rest in the body and mind for this.

 

Therefore, the centre must make recovery attractive. It should be a wonderful and pleasant experience where the guest feels welcomed, held, pampered and can take the journey towards greater peace in their daily lives. In this way, the ambition is to make the sauna garden a destination in itself. Something pleasurable.

 

Objectives 

The objectives of the project are:

 

- Innovative architectural and artistic concept for recovery

- Create concept and brand

- Unique synthesis between innovative art and a cultural centre for mental recovery

 

The project aims to create a concrete architecture that integrates stress-reducing elements with spaces for physical and mental contemplation. The aim of the project is to integrate the elements that have proven, or in our development work have proven, to have a good effect for people with stress-related symptoms, such as therapy gardens, sauna, winter bathing, exercises and training in stress reduction (silence, de-digitisation, elements of yoga, meditation, mindfulness, compassion, etc.) - but also to specifically develop elements that have a preventive effect and that can be incorporated into our everyday activities. 

 

The aim of the project is to create a synthesis of form and content between the built environment and its function. The goal is therefore to consider what architecture - space, light, materials, form etc. means for mental sustainability.  

 

Vision  

The vision of the project is to make recovery an attractive destination and everyday activity.

 

The project management wants to realise the project in collaboration with a number of internationally recognised artists, architects, practitioners and researchers. The aim is to create a place that inspires and creates space for relaxation and de-stressing. The starting point is to put the individual at the centre in the belief that we all hold the answers to the questions of how we can improve our quality of life. Saunahaven is about creating a context that can contribute to fostering these answers.

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Purpose   

The purpose is:

 

1. To realise a unique architectural and artistic space in which a social and cultural methodical stress prevention practice is offered to people.  

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2. To put national and global focus on stress and stress prevention and contribute to making it attractive and socially acceptable to work prophylactically with stress for everyone, young and old. 

 

The aim is to equip sauna garden users with tools to increase their own competences in relation to the growing challenge of stress. We therefore want to make the individual's work with mental health a positive and enjoyable experience. 

 

Art and architecture as a development platform

The creative development of the project is led by visual artist Kenneth A. Balfelt in collaboration with his team. Kenneth Balfelt Team has for many years rethought and redeveloped methods for urban development, using his artistic approach to create innovative urban spaces and communities for many different target groups, both in Denmark and internationally - specialising in translating social ambitions and values into physical form and strategic content. 

 

The content and building programme of this project will be developed on this artistic platform in collaboration with relevant professionals. In addition, as an integral part of the overall architectural and content whole, ‘content works’ will be developed by recognised artists that offer focus, presence and mindfulness in Saunahaven. 

 

Kenneth Balfelt Team has in his artistic practice created opportunities to approach issues from an unseen angle with innovative results, both in the physical and social spaces of the city.

 

Collaboration partners  

The project group is in dialogue with a number of institutions and professionals about the many professional aspects of the project. These include the following: 

 

The City of Copenhagen 

The City of Copenhagen's Care and Health Administration has a major long-term strategy and effort to prevent stress, which is included in the municipality's action plan for better mental health. The Culture and Leisure Administration is continuously working to develop facilities to meet the demand from a growing number of Copenhageners. Among the facilities in focus are new initiatives in and around Copenhagen Harbour.  

The project management has initiated formal collaboration with these two administrations on the cultural and stress prevention aspects of the project.  

 

Copenhagen City and Port Development ("By og Havn")

The project management is in dialogue with By & Havn about a possible location in Nordhavn.  

As Copenhagen's newest residential area under development, it is interesting as innovative urban development is being incorporated into urban planning. City and Harbour is positive about the project. They see it as essential to integrate stress prevention into the area's development. The City and Harbour Authority has relevant areas that can be included in the establishment with a location facing the sea.   

However, the project management is still open to other locations.   

 

The Danish Arts Foundation

The project's preliminary analysis is partially supported by the Danish Arts Foundation. 

 

Motivation for the project   

The interdisciplinary composition and background of the project management reflects the many facets of the project that motivate this initiative. The overall aim is to create a better quality of life for people living in Danish cities by realising an innovative prototype concept and then refining the concept in order to realise the model in more cities.  

 

Target group   

SaunaHaven is aimed at the city's citizens in general - driven by a desire to prevent and alleviate, but also educate and inform, with a special focus on young people to introduce them to stress-reducing tools and methods, such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, sensory and nature experiences and visual art with contemplative qualities.

 

The specific target groups are privately recognised and unrecognised stress sufferers, associations, schools and institutions, municipal referrals, companies, trade unions and the public sector via company agreements, health insurance referrals and socially vulnerable people. 

 

Anchoring  

In its methodology, the project group emphasises the importance of involving many disciplines in the development of the concept, especially in the research phase. This applies to citizens with experience in relation to the problem, but also to municipal administrators. This includes citizens with experience of the issue, but also municipal administrations and units in the health sector, housing organisations, trade unions, interest groups and investors, as well as professionals such as stress researchers, psychologists, urban planners, sociologists, property developers, architects, urban and landscape developers, etc. 

 

The Team Behind

Kenneth Balfelt Team has renovated Folkets Park for the Municipality of Copenhagen, developed and built a therapy garden in Halden Prison in Norway, created Enghave Minipark with and for beer drinkers, designed courtyards for Kirkens Korshær in Odense for Odense Municipality, created new conditions and urban spaces for the vulnerable for Vejle Municipality, Aarhus Municipality and Aalborg Municipality. He is regularly used on advisory boards, to create reports and as a judge in urban development competitions for municipalities, ministries and foundations.

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Lars Rahbek has created art projects and decorations in the new Western High Court in Viborg, the new extension to VIA University Holstebro, the new VIA University in Aarhus, the new regional police station in Holstebro, Nexus Copenhagen Kalvebod Brygge (Danish Energy Agency, Banedanmark, the Danish Transport, Construction and Housing Authority, the Danish Road Directorate and the Danish Building and Property Agency). Lars is currently working on a decoration project for the new immigration office in Næstved and a new project for the Western High Court in Viborg.

 

Johan August, Cultural Project Development, has for 30 years worked with a range of cultural projects, sustainable construction, music, film, theatre and digital learning tools.

 

SaunaHaven - Kenneth Balfelt Team, Johan August and Larm Galleri

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