Ondsauna Sauna by Taro Shimokawa is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Mubairo weBronzi we A' Design Award in Akitekicha, Zvivako neZvivakwa Competition Category.

BronziAkitekicha· 2025

Ondsauna Sauna

by Taro Shimokawa

Client: Ondpark

Mubairo weBronzi we A' Design Award Winner in Akitekicha Category

14,328
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #165443

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Ondsauna Sauna

Ondsauna imba yesauna yakavakwa mudondo. Madziro emhiri akamiswa akapoteredza kamuri yesauna, achiratidza kukura kwemiti kunoenda mudenga. Nzira inomonyoroka inotungamirira kunzvimbo yekuzorora iri pamusoro pedenga. Musuo uri makumi maviri nemashanu esendimita (250mm) pamusoro pevhu, deki rekunyudza mumvura inotonhora riri pamamita ari kutanga (1000mm), uye pamusoro pedenga pari pamamita anosvika zviuru zvitatu nemazana maviri nemakumi mashanu (3250mm), zvokuti kufamba kubva kusauna kuenda kunyudzo yemvura inotonhora kusvika kunze kwakashama kuri kwakamira zvakananga kumusoro. Chirongwa chisina kufanana chine mativi mazhinji uye zvigaro zvine mativi makuru zvinotungamirira maonero, zvichibvumira vashanyi kusarudza mutowo wavanoda kubatana nawo.

The Recognition

About the Mubairo weBronzi we A' Design Award

Mubairo weBronzi we A' Design Award wakahwinwa ne Ondsauna Sauna, rukudzo rwakakwirira kwazvo runopiwa kumadhizaini akasiyana anozivikanwa nekugadzira, njere nekungwara. Vakunda veBronzi mabasa ane unyanzvi hwakakwana uye kugadzira kunoshamisa kunosimbisa ruzivo rukuru, pfungwa nehunyanzvi hwevagadziri vawo. Ondsauna Sauna inotarisirwa kuva chinhu chinokudzwa kwazvo, chinoremekedzwa uye chinodiwa, chine hunyanzvi hunoonekwa uye zvitsva. Dhizaini iyi yakahwina Mubairo weBronzi we A' Design Award inosanganisa maitiro akanakisa muhunyanzvi, sayenzi, dhizaini netekinoroji uye yakasiyana nekutarisisa zvidiki. Ondsauna Sauna inogutsa zvinodiwa zvakanaka, inobata zvishuvo, inokwezva manzwiro uye inomutsa kuda kuziva.

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