Sea baths as an example of sustainable architecture without an ecological footprint

Abstract

By the last third of the nineteenth century, many sea bath structures were raised by the Spanish Levante, but currently only San Antonio´s sea bath, jutting out over the Mar Menor in Murcia, remains. The historical documentation about these seashore buildings located in Murcia and Alicante allowed us to study these architecture typologies as an approach to the design process intended to harmonize its products with nature. All the historical maps and plans, drawings and photographs convey a whole process of systematized execution with a minimum use of energy at each stage of the building process, its assembly and erection, in addition to the low maintenance and total future recycling. The adaptation of the architectural design to the coast is one of the most important aspects of these traditional constructions. This paper shows the study of different architectural, structural and constructive solutions characterized by the use of fixed and removable lightweight structures and the evolution of piling systems. The removable feature and the simplicity of the assembly allow us to talk about an example of sustainable architecture without ecological footprints.