– A Small Architectural Device for Footbath –

As mechanized bathing equipment is increasingly introduced into care facilities to accommodate different levels of care needs, the time once spent gathering around a communal bath—and the relationships fostered there—is gradually disappearing. While these systems fulfill the essential function of maintaining personal hygiene, the richness of bathing as a place where people gather, converse, and share time together is being diminished.

In converting a former public bathhouse into a day-care facility, we proposed a footbath as a device that opens bathing beyond the act of care, creating an opportunity for people to come together. Conceived beyond conventional architectural scales and formats, the “Mobile Footbath” is a portable structure that exists somewhere between furniture and architecture. It can be installed in a variety of settings, gently connecting the body with its surroundings. Through movement and reconfiguration, it creates new relationships and spatial scenes each time it is placed.

Its stackable configuration allows it to adapt to different numbers of users and a variety of purposes. Using firewood as its heat source also provides an opportunity to reconnect with the environment and recover a more direct sensory awareness of the body. Its form naturally invites people to gather around and linger. While originating from considerations of care and accessibility, the Mobile Footbath extends beyond the welfare facility to become a catalyst for creating a community open to the surrounding neighborhood.