Modern building with white geometric panels surrounded by trees, with two people walking on a stone-lined pathway.

POLAR BEAR SAUNA

TYPE: UNSOLICITED PROPOSAL

YEAR: 2023-PRESENT

In this proposal, the vacant polar bear enclosure in Stanley Park would be converted to a Nordic-style, public sauna. Borrowing from various sauna cultures around the world, this complex would become a public place for people to congregate, socialize and rest; especially in the wet winter months when social interaction is in short supply.

Visualizations by Miguel Orellana.

Modern outdoor pool area with steam rising from hot tubs, surrounded by greenery and contemporary buildings.

Modern restaurant interior viewed through a large glass window with natural light, wooden ceiling, and seating area with beige chairs and tables. Two waitstaff members are present, one preparing food and one walking, with trees visible outside.

Person immersed in a futuristic pool with a rocky wall and a high, curved ceiling with abstract patterns.

A collage combining a modern architectural building with outdoor pool and a black-and-white historic photo of a crowd watching a performance or event in front of trees.

A large group of people gathered around a circular polar bear exhibit at a zoo, with several polar bears inside the enclosure, surrounded by tall trees.

IMAGINE DIPPING INTO A COLD PLUNGE WHERE, ONLY A FEW DECADES AGO, CAPTIVE POLAR BEARS SWAM.

The site's complicated history would make this sauna unlike any other in the world. It would re-engage a corner of the park that has been off-limits while adding to the diversity of activities that make Stanley Park so vital in the first place.