The People’s Bathhouse and Plumbers’ Liberation School transforms the historic IRT Powerhouse into a sanctuary for Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking plumbing and steamfitting workers in Manhattan. This project offers occupational healing, human connection, and political education, integrating baths, saunas, gyms, communal spaces, and training facilities. It aims to alleviate the physical and emotional toll of labor while preparing steamfitter apprentices to develop their skills and obtain licensing in New York City.
Situated at the nexus of Hell’s Kitchen’s sanitation and steam systems, the site reclaims unused portions of the Powerhouse and Pier 99, repurposing them as spaces of care while maintaining critical infrastructure functions. Sustainability is supported through community donations, medical partnerships, and cardboard recycling. The cardboard-built facility symbolizes the reclamation of marginalized, hidden spaces for empowerment and healing. This project reimagines urban infrastructure as a site of dignity, liberation, and community, honoring the unseen labor that sustains New York City.
