This time, the Japanese star architect has completely shaken up our ideas about saunas.
Kengo Kuma & Associates has created a striking design for a Japanese glamping facility and hotel spa: a sauna building called SAZAE, modeled on a seashell. The highly impressive shape is made up of 5,000 pieces of CNC-cut plywood and assembled on-site, like a jigsaw puzzle. The result is a meticulously crafted, textured volume that shape-shifts from different angles.
This high ceiling in itself was a surprising architectural choice, as saunas are designed to be compact to retain heat. How do you prevent the hot air from rising? This is done by continuously pumping the air. The sauna built in Naoshima is intended exclusively for hotel guests.
Source: DesignBoom
Photos: Keishin Horikoshi