Sauna - Magazine of Design

Designer / Brand: Taro SHIMOKAWA Work: Sauna Tag: Architecture

Ondsauna

Ondsauna is a sauna building placed within a forest. Vertical exterior walls are clustered around the sauna room, echoing the upward growth of trees. A spiraling path leads to a rooftop relaxation space. The entrance sits 250 millimeters above ground level, the cold plunge deck at 1000 millimeters and the rooftop at 3250 millimeters, so the movement from sauna to cold plunge to open air is vertical. An irregular polygonal plan and obtuse-angled benches guide sightlines and let visitors choose their level of interaction.

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Re is a sauna interior designed as a quiet retreat. The design is based on the Japanese word shinkan, which means deep stillness. Sound is the main focus of the layout and of the material choices. Partition walls are extended to the attic, and sound proofing material is placed inside the walls to reduce noise. All finishes are uneven, which softens reflected sound. The lighting follows the direction, intensity and color temperature of natural sunlight. The result is a calm space that recalls the silence of a growing forest.