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.
Ondsauna Sauna by Taro SHIMOKAWA has been identified as a grand illustration of architectural design by the A' Design Award & Competition. Ondsauna Sauna won the Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design in 2025. The A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award is an international, jury-voted, fair and ethical design competition which celebrates exceptional design of skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions, religious structures, infrastructure designs, landscaping projects and more.
