Thermal Baths in Kavasila, Ioannina GR

The subject of the thesis is the utilization of the hot spring in Kavasila of Ioannina in Greece through the design of bath facilities equipped with accommodation ones.

The sulphurous spring is located on the left bank of Sarantaporos River, north of Konitsa, opposite the old Baths of Pyxaria that were bombed during the World War II. The access to the hot spring is possible via a motorway and alternatively via a dirt path that starts south of the source from the plateau where the Monastery of Panagia is located, a stone church dating from 1816.

The main objectives of the project were the integration of the facilities into the special environment of the site, the utilization of the existing path (paving and placement of sculptures at points along the route) and the design of new paths which would connect the various operational units through walkways that would contribute to the development of an interactive human - landscape relationship.

The bathing facilities were chosen to be located at the foot of the mountain, in direct relation to the location of the spring, highlighting the natural flow of the hot river, which the building should “hug” by creating an inward space for the bathing process. The guesthouses, being separate units, were chosen to be placed in the wood, thereby giving the visitor the opportunity to live a hospitality experience within the wild landscape.

The lay out of bathing facilities resulted from the design of the paths that ensure a smooth access to them. Therefore, the building becomes a crossroads, a meeting place in a route without end and beginning, giving visitors the opportunity to walk through the area before starting the bathing process.

The baths building is organized in two levels. At the first one, there is the spring area, which, through a semi-outdoor ramp, is connected to the reception area of the bathing facilities. The reception area includes lockers and auxiliary spaces while visitors can access the central area of the baths through a small semi-outdoor passage, which crosses perpendicularly the flow of the river coming out from the springs. The central bath area, also semi-outdoor, consists of a central swimming pool formed by the river flow and four indoor and dug-out areas for hammam and herbal treatment. At the second level there is the cafeteria, -with an independent entrance- while there are three points of access to the first level and to the paths leading to the guesthouses and Monastery of Panagia.

Thinking about the history of baths over time, a history associated with psychosomatic health, purification and rejuvenation of the mind, attention was given to the study of the special atmosphere of these areas, aiming at the creation of a spatial condition that would breath of calm and would awaken the senses, as part of a ritual, not primarily intended for the highlighting of the thermal character of the baths but mainly for the creation of a “bridge” that should restore the connection of man with his inner nature.