charred cedar facade enfolds kiln-inspired sauna in japan

"Ujizono Architects has completed Kasamabi Sauna in Kasama City, , a region historically recognized for Kasama ware and ceramics production. The facility is situated within a mixed urban context that includes schools, art , golf grounds, and densely arranged residential buildings. As a program requiring privacy, the site is treated as an enclosed condition bordered by surrounding structures and open fields."

"The project considers architecture as a combination of places for lingering and places for circulation, aligning these with areas that preserve cultural context and areas that introduce movement. Its overall concept references the climbing kilns dispersed throughout Kasama, using them as a formal and spatial model to connect the building to its setting. The design allows air and people to move through the spaces while also creating points of pause."

"The exterior walls are finished in charred , and the building is topped with a single-sloped constructed from flat-laid metal sheets. The roof pitch follows a locally prevalent 3:5 proportion, further linking the design to regional construction practices. An approach path of Inada gravel surrounds the structure, establishing a visual boundary for the site. Approach steps in black create continuity between the charred cedar facade and the stone paving."

"Inside, the plan integrates horizontal circulation routes and vertical axes, organizing the changing rooms, indoor air bath, and toilets/showers. The arrangement produces a clear layout in which the sauna is visible upon entering from the approach path. The open-air bathing area includes a square atrium that shields views from the adjacent hillside while permitting wind and daylight to enter. On either side of the sauna, a cold plunge pool and a warm bath are symmetrically positioned."

Kasamabi Sauna occupies an enclosed site in Kasama City surrounded by schools, art venues, golf grounds, and dense housing, designed to ensure privacy. The project references local climbing kilns as formal and spatial models, enabling airflow and human movement while creating pauses. Exterior walls use charred cedar and a single-sloped metal roof set to a local 3:5 pitch. An Inada gravel approach and black steps define the boundary and material continuity. Interior organization aligns horizontal circulation with vertical axes, placing the sauna visibly from the approach and centering an open-air atrium with symmetric cold and warm baths.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine