A sauna made of pink lithium crystal is located within the WasteLand Climate Action Park, which is a former contaminated industrial site. This structure was designed by the Swedish couple Bigert & Bergström.
The lithium crystal sauna is a fully functional public sauna, shaped like a massive, asymmetrical pink crystal. This design intentionally references one of the minerals that contributes to the global transition towards electric vehicles, batteries, and renewable energy storage systems.
The exterior cladding of the sauna is made of titanium-coated pink mirrored steel, allowing it to reflect the surrounding river, forest, and recovering landscape. The result is an object that appears almost otherworldly against the natural backdrop.
The choice of lithium carries a conscious message: while batteries are a key element of the promise of a cleaner energy future, the growing demand for lithium increases pressure on new extraction and mining processes. Placing a structure inspired by lithium on land affected by industrial activity creates a visual link between the environmental costs of past energy systems and the technologies intended to power the future.
Inside, the reflective exterior gives way to a contrasting 'wooden grotto,' which forms a warm, tactile interior space designed to provide a restorative sensory experience. This construction is conceived as an object that simultaneously serves as sculpture, public infrastructure, and a place for relaxation and recovery.
The sauna is part of WasteLand—Europe's first climate action park, which opened in May 2026 after 17 years of remediation. The broader project integrates art, scientific research, recreation, and ecological restoration on one of Västerbotten's once most polluted sites.