Ondsauna Sauna by Taro Shimokawa is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Parahi in Hoahoa Waihanga, Whare me te Hanganga Competition Category.
ParahiWaihanga· 2025
Ondsauna Sauna
Client: Ondpark
A' Design Award Parahi Winner in Waihanga Category
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The Design
About Ondsauna Sauna
He whare sauna a Ondsauna e tū ana i roto i te ngahere. Ko ngā pakitara o waho e tū poutū ana kua whakahuihuia haere i te taha o te ruma sauna, e whakaata ana i te tipu whakarunga o ngā rākau. He ara koiri e ārahi ana ki tētahi wāhi whakatā kei runga i te tuanui. Ko te tomokanga kei te 250 mirimita ki runga ake i te whenua, ko te papa ruku makariri kei te 1000 mirimita, ā, ko te tuanui kei te 3250 mirimita, nā reira ko te nekeneke mai i te sauna ki te ruku makariri, ā, tae noa ki te rangi tuwhera, he poutū tonu. Ko tētahi mahere tapawhā-rite-kore me ngā nohoanga koki-nui e ārahi ana i ngā aronga tirohanga, e taea ai e ngā manuhiri te kōwhiri i tō rātou taumata whakapā.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Parahi
Ko Ondsauna Sauna te toa o te A' Design Award Parahi, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa kōeke e tohua ana mā te auaha, te mahi mōhio me te whakaaro hōhonu. Ko ngā toa Parahi he mahi pukenga e rite ana, he auaha mīharo, e whakatūturu ana i te wheako nui, te whakaaro me te mōhio-ā-ringa o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Ondsauna Sauna he taonga whakanuia, whakamīharotia, aroha nui, he ngaio, he auaha hoki. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Parahi e whakauru ana i ngā tikanga pai rawa i te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau, ā, he tino mīharo ki ngā taipitopito. Ka whakatutuki a Ondsauna Sauna i ngā hiahia, ka pā ki ngā hiahia, ka whakaoho i ngā kare-ā-roto, ā, ka kume i te pākiki.
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.
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