thesis project

2024, spring, thesis project

Sustainability focus

A growing percentage of people living in urban areas have a desire to enact change as evidenced by defined eco-anxiety and personal behavior, but opportunities for compelling and meaningful connection to nature and personal engagement with society are lacking. This thesis utilizes the Living Principles framework, Systems Thinking, and Design Thinking methodologies to address how, in the midst of this multi-existential crisis, bathhouses can be a critical part of the answer; connecting people to people and people to nature, providing the basis for community level action to address sustainability challenges.

Objective

The thesis work resulted in the development of components (design elements/features and processes), captured within an existing bathing facility prototype, and shared initially through a website. These components have the capacity to offer inclusive shared cultural experiences intended to create a sense of “oneness” that challenges the neoliberal teaching of super individuality; offering individuals the synergies needed to address the global environmental crisis in urban areas of living.