A prototype for a potential future
November 2025
Lydia Xynogala (ALOS), Charlotte Arn, Pascal Bertschi and Elon Rachamin (RabArBer)
The public fountain on the roundabout at the entry of the town Methana is embedded between the former hydrotherapy baths built by the Greek State, the only hotel with running spring water bathtubs “Ai Pigai” and the street which connects the peninsula to the Peloponnese. The baths, once symbols of optimism and prosperity in the early twentieth century, now show decay and uncertainty, reflecting Greece’s complex present.
The main bath building was built in 1917 and soon became a symbol of the thermal water of Methana. Once owned by the Greek State, the baths attracted visitors who came on doctors’ prescribed therapies to bathe. This left a lasting imprint on Methana’s built environment and infrastructure. The sulphurous smell that greets when entering the town is an omnipresent reminder of this geothermal heritage. Since their closure in 2017, the once lively bath buildings and the Loutropolis (“City of Baths”) have become dormant.
In this context the round fountain is transformed into a temporary healing spring bath for three days. The aim is to enable space for exchange and the collaboration of the local community. Along with the thermal bathing, a series of events and gatherings are hosted in and around the fountain: citizens and visitors of Methana bathe together in the warm waters, discussing mineral springs, listening to oral histories of the past and dreaming about futures of the peninsula ahead. Given the limited budget and the temporary nature of the bath, the aim was to explore how little is needed to transform the decorative fountain into an accessible and inviting public space.
Using a simple hose, the healing water from the Hotel “Ai Pigai” is redirected to the fountain. Benches, a staircase, a handrail, paving and the water inflow were designed and installed to ensure accessibility for bathing.
The aim was to gather leftover or off-cut material from across the peninsula and connect all the elements in a way that could be easily reversed. The use of volcanic stone as a building material emphasises the connection between the volcanoes of Methana and the thermal water in the fountain. Bathers touch not only the healing water, but also its mineral prerequisites. The water brings out the red to brown hues of the stones.
The fountain was not only a container for the sulphur-clouded water, but also for the oral histories of the local inhabitants, a forum where questions were raised and answers crossed the water. Apart from bathing, various events were held and the water became a public good, enabling encounters and discussions – transforming a decorative municipal fountain into a space of contact, baths, stories and joy. The accessibility and ownership of the healing springs were discussed, and possible futures of this geological resource were imagined. Children were included through a drawing workshop, where they explored the baths and were invited to draw what they saw, to share their ideas, and to get in touch with the thermal water, its properties, and environment. The joy and interest evident during the events demonstrated that the healing waters of Methana are not flowing in the past but could be catalysts of the peninsula’s future.
The transformed fountain connected residents, the municipality, scientists, and the public space with the healing spring. It showed a pragmatic approach of how thermal bathing can also look like. Rather than large, costly infrastructure projects, small-scale interventions in public space can provide accessible, shared bathing. Proven methods were questioned and new alliances formed. The three days acted as a prototype for a public bath with tools, routines, and agreements being tested. The activities around the fountain became a choreography of a potential future, a rehearsal of care and shared responsibility.
