The Eddy: Reintroducing the Bathhouse as Civic Leisure Architecture in Metropolitan Sydney | Masters Design Project

Site Context

Proposed in 2015 and completed in 2016, the Kent Street Underpass comprises an existing network of tunnels and passageways linking York Street, Middle Street, and Kent Street. Formed beneath a complex arrangement of overhead highways, the underpass establishes a clear and efficient route for pedestrian movement. 

This infrastructure revealed opportunities for the insertion of thermae, while also prompting investigations into how complementary programs could be integrated—either recessed below or extended outward from the existing conditions. Periods of favourable weather further revealed optimal natural lighting possibilities, with the overhead road infrastructure offering potential for controlled daylight penetration or larger openings in areas free from obstructions above.

Design Process

In natural river systems, eddies form where fast-moving currents slow at points of low pressure, creating pockets of calm. Kayakers often use these zones as moments of rest amid the intensity of downstream movement. Translated to an urban condition, similar points of slowness can emerge within extensive networks of fast-flowing highways. Conceptually, water is treated as a linear passage, with filtration units acting as obstacles along its course. Each intervention introduces a distinct modification or enhancement to the water before it is purified for daily use.

By compressing this extended journey, opportunities arise for an architecture of slowness. The sequential stages of water treatment operate in parallel with recreational bathing, allowing infrastructure and leisure to coexist. These obstacles are transformed into immersive interior environments, offering moments of distraction and sensory variation that enrich the bathing experience.

Final Outcome

The placement of the thermae establishes a striking contrast within its urban context. It is conceived as a deliberate counterpoint to the rapid pace of transit and movement in the CBD—a sanctuary of slowness amidst a high-speed environment. 

A space moving at 1 km/h under a city moving at 100 km/h. This “slow space” celebrates a profound engagement with leisure in water. In this context, the qualities of water—its temperature, form, fluidity, and treatment—become central to the spatial experience. These aspects reinforce the notion of water as a journey, one in which visitors actively participate and are immersed.

Conclusion: Ultimately, the thermae introduces a slow, restorative space within Sydney’s fast-paced CBD, using water as a journey to foster leisure, sensory engagement, and social connection. It offers a model for integrating moments of pause into the urban fabric.

[This Academic Project has been published with text and images submitted by the student]