Ondsauna Sauna by Taro Shimokawa is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Perunggu in Arsitéktur Competition Category.

PerungguArsitéktur· 2025

Ondsauna Sauna

by Taro Shimokawa

Client: Ondpark

A' Design Award Perunggu Winner in Arsitéktur Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #165443

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Ondsauna Sauna

Ondsauna nyaéta wangunan sauna anu diwangun di jero leuweung. Témbok éksterior vertikal dikumpulkeun ngurilingan rohangan sauna, sasat ngagambarkeun kamekaran tangkal anu tumuwuh ka luhur. Jalan anu ngaliuk-ngaliuk mawa ka rohangan santai di luhur suhunan. Lawang asup nangtung 250 milimeter luhureun taneuh, dek pikeun nyeuseup tiris aya dina luhur 1000 milimeter, sarta luhur suhunan aya dina luhur 3250 milimeter, nu matak gerakan tina sauna ka nyeuseup tiris terus ka rohangan terbuka lumangsung sacara vertikal. Rarancang polygonal anu teu regular sarta bangku-bangku nu sudutna landong marabot alur tetenjoan sarta ngamungkinkeun anu daratang milih sorangan tingkat interaksi anu dipikahoyongna.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Perunggu

Ondsauna Sauna mangrupa juara A' Design Award Perunggu, pangakuan anu pohara bergengsi anu dipasihkeun ka desain unggul anu dicirikeun ku kréativitas, kacerdikan jeung kawaspadaan. Para juara Perunggu téh artéfak anu lobaan kaahlian jeung kréatif pisan anu ngabuktikeun pangalaman anu lega, imajinasi jeung kacerdasan para désainerna. Ondsauna Sauna diharepkeun jadi objék anu dihargaan, dikagumi jeung dipikanyaah anu profésional jeung inovatif. Desain juara A' Design Award Perunggu ieu ngalebetkeun prakték pangalusna dina seni, élmu, desain jeung téknologi, sarta unggul dina perhatian kana détail. Ondsauna Sauna minuhan kabutuhan kalayan éndah, nyentuh kahayang, nyenangkeun rasa, jeung narik rasa panasaran.

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