Ondsauna Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Saụna by Taro Shimokawa

Ondsauna Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Saụna by Taro Shimokawa is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz in Nhazi Ụlọ Owu, Ụlọ na Ihe Owuwu Competition Category.

BronzỤlọ Owu· 2025

Ondsauna Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Saụna

by Taro Shimokawa

Client: Ondpark

Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz Winner in Ụlọ Owu Category

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The Design

About Ondsauna Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Saụna

Ederede Akwụkwọ: Ondsauna bụ ụlọ saụna e wuru n'ime ọhịa. Mgbidi e guzo ọtọ gbara gburugburu ime ụlọ saụna, na-egosipụta otú osisi na-etolite gbagoo elu. Ụzọ na-agba maramara na-eduga n'ebe izuike dị n'elu ụlọ. Ọnụ ụzọ mbata dị milimita 250 n'elu ala, ebe mmiri oyi mmiri (cold plunge deck) dị na milimita 1000, ebe elu ụlọ dịkwa na milimita 3250; nke a na-eme ka mmegharị site na saụna gaa n'ebe mmiri oyi ruo n'ikuku ìhè bụrụ nke na-arịgo elu n'ụzọ kwụ ọtọ. Atụmatụ ala nke na-adịghị kwụ n'usoro (irregular polygonal plan) na oche ndị nwere akụkụ dị ka ntakiri gbatịpụ (obtuse-angled benches) na-edu anya ndị na-abịa leta ma nyere ha ohere ịhọrọ otú ha ga-esi mekọrịta ihe.

The Recognition

About the Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz

Ondsauna Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Saụna meriri A' Design Award nke Bronz, nnabata dị oke ugwu e nyere design ndị pụtara ìhè nke a ma ama maka nzụlite ihe, ọgụgụ isi na nghọta. Ndị meriri na Bronz bụ ihe e mere nke ndị nwere nka nke ukwuu ma dị mma n'imepụta nke na-egosi ahụmahụ buru ibu, echiche na ọgụgụ isi nke ndị designer ha. A na-atụ anya na Ondsauna Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Saụna ga-abụ ihe a na-asọpụrụ nke ukwuu, a na-eto na a hụrụ n'anya, nke dị oke ọrụ ma dị ọhụrụ. Design a meriri A' Design Award nke Bronz na-agụnye ụzọ kacha mma n'ime nka, sayensị, design na teknụzụ, ma dị mma nke ukwuu maka nlebara anya ya n'obere ihe. Ondsauna Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Saụna na-emezu mkpa nke ọma, na-emetụ ọchịchọ aka, na-adọrọ mmetụta obi ma na-adọta ọchịchọ ịmara.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Trees grow endlessly upward, a concept reflected in the vertical exterior walls clustered around the sauna room. A spiraling path leads upward to a rooftop relaxation space, mirroring the building's form. The sauna entrance is at GL+250, the cold plunge deck at GL+1000, and the rooftop at GL+3250, so the transition from sauna to cold plunge to open air follows a vertical flow. Viewing the forest at treetop height allows one to share in its growth rhythm.
Dimensions & Packaging: The irregular plan was chosen to allow the passage and expansion of the line of sight and to adjust the degree of intimacy, which was rationally solved by the 150mm CLT floor slab. The elimination of beams has eliminated non-perpendicular joints in the structure, contributing to labor savings in site work. The rational walls of the scale module are discretely assembled and the CLT slab connects them. This structural form itself can be described as a sociopetal structure.
Production Technology: An irregular polygonal floor plan guides sightlines, creating varied scenic views. Research shows conversations are twice as frequent at 90 degrees versus side-by-side. Here, strangers sit together, so we chose obtuse-angled benches to balance interaction and privacy, encouraging conversation without intrusion. Varied seating allows for different levels of interaction, while the overall arrangement around a fire fosters a shared experience.
Inspiration: In a sauna, strangers sit nearly naked in close proximity, creating potential intimacy. Yet in Japan, public saunas haven’t fostered this sense of community. By aligning with Japan’s unique sense of closeness, we aim to create a sociopetal space, encouraging shared understanding without forced intimacy. “Non-intrusive” walls balance connection and separation; their verticality resonates with the forest, while their spacing draws nature in and modulates closeness among neighbors.

Read the Press Release