Ginzan Bathhouse 'Shirogane-yu'

Ginzan Bathhouse 'Shirogane-yu'
Architect: Kengo Kuma
Spolupráce:Keita Goto, Hiroshi Nakamura
Address: 415-1 Ginzanshinhata Kita, Ginzan Onsen, Japan
Completion:2000 - 7.2001
Area:63 m2
Built Up Area:37 m2


This little spa for residents and visitors is located in a deep gullez characterised bz historical ryokan (traditional wooden inns built in the area in the 17th century).
The irregular shaped lot faces directly onto the banks of the Ginzan River and, like the road running along its side, is very small in size: the projectś aim is therefore to amplify the already close link between the three elements (the street, the river and the building) through creation of new spaces for communication.
The project minimises the separation of man-made and natural with a layout that maintains a boundary between their respective functions, so that the corresponding spaces can interact and affect one another.
The walls of the spa building consist of thin wooden strips, rendering the boundary between inside and out ambiguous and permeable.
The use of wood not only continues a Japanese building tradition but allows Kuma to separate spaces from one another without blocking their views of each other.
Alini Luigi: Kengo Kuma. Opere e progetti, Mondadori Electa, Milan 2005, p.195
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