"presents Taiyo Tsubomi, an experimental sauna complex at the 2025 World Exposition site in Osaka. Positioned along the western seafront of the Expo grounds, the project, whose name translates to Bud of the Sun, introduces a sauna experience that engages light, heat, sound, and scent while fostering a deeper connection with the surrounding natural landscape. At just 161 square meters, the installation transforms a compact footprint into a layered architectural exploration of translucency, material innovation, and ritualized engagement."
"The design organizes three primary membrane volumes on an open platform. Taiyo Tsubomi envelops visitors in warmth in a comfort lounge flooded with natural light and wind, and also features a cold bath sheltered beneath a balloon-like canopy. Each unit interacts with its environment, swaying in the breeze, reflecting the sky, and glowing with sunset hues. These subtle gestures amplify the sensory impact of the sauna, supporting the project's concept of resonance with nature and an awakening of synesthesia."
"Japanese studio KOMPAS includes tetrahedral air-membrane structures made from lightweight aluminum frames and ETFE film. This system encloses large volumes of air for insulation and stability and maintains a minimal physical footprint. Frosted ETFE diffuses sunlight during the day and creates a luminous interior at night, replacing the wooden interiors associated with saunas using a translucent, adaptable envelope. Taiyo Tsubomi also uses concrete canvas, a fabric-like material that hardens when wet, and 3D printed concrete for the organic-shaped cold bath."
Taiyo Tsubomi is an experimental sauna complex positioned along the western seafront of the Expo 2025 Osaka grounds. The 161-square-meter installation stages a multisensory ritual that engages light, heat, sound and scent while encouraging connection with the surrounding natural landscape. Three primary tetrahedral air-membrane volumes sit on an open platform, offering a warm comfort lounge flooded with natural light and wind and a cold bath sheltered beneath a balloon-like canopy. Frosted ETFE membranes diffuse daylight and produce luminous interiors at night, while concrete canvas and 3D-printed concrete form the sculpted cold bath. The modular, inflatable membranes can be deflated, relocated and reused, supporting flexible, sustainable design.
Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine
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