Ondsauna Sauna by Taro Shimokawa is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze in Igishushanyo cy'Ubwubatsi Competition Category.

BuronzeUbwubatsi· 2025

Ondsauna Sauna

by Taro Shimokawa

Client: Ondpark

Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze Winner in Ubwubatsi Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Ondsauna Sauna

Ondsauna ni inyubako ya sauna yubatswe imbere mu ishyamba. Inkuta z'hanze ziriho uburebure zunguranye zikikije icyumba cya sauna, bigereranya imikurire y'ibiti yerekeza hejuru. Inzira izenguruka mu buryo bw'agacyende iyobora ku kibanza cyo kuruhukira giri hejuru ku nyubako. Aho winjirira hari kuri santimetero 25 hejuru y'ubutaka, agasanduku k'amazi akonje kagenda kuroha kari kuri metero imwe, naho hejuru y'inyubako hari kuri metero 3.25, bityo intambwe uva muri sauna ujya mu mazi akonje kugera mu kirere gifunguye igenda yerekeza hejuru mu buryo butaziguye. Igishushanyo mbonera cy'imisogongero itari misozi isanzwe hamwe n'intebe zifite imfuruka zigoramye, bituma amaso y'abasura ayoborwa kandi bagahitamo uburyo bwo kwifatanya batewe n'urwego runaka.

The Recognition

About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze

Ondsauna Sauna ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze, ishimwe ry'agaciro gakomeye ritangwa ku bishushanyo by'indashyikirwa birangwa no guhanga, ubwenge n'ubushishozi. Abegukanye Buronze ni ibihangano bifite ubuhanga bwinshi kandi bihanga cyane, bishimangira uburambe, ubwenge n'ubushobozi bw'ababihanze. Ondsauna Sauna biteganyijwe ko izaba ikintu cyubahwa, gishimwa kandi gikundwa, gifite ubunyamwuga n'udushya. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye Buronze gikoresha uburyo bwiza mu buhanzi, ubumenyi, ubushushanyo n'ikoranabuhanga kandi kirarenze mu gutaha ku tuntu duto. Ondsauna Sauna ishimisha ibyo dukeneye, ikora ku byifuzo byacu, itwara amarangamutima yacu kandi ikurura amatsiko yacu.

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