Polyuse Inc. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter "Polyuse") and Kano Construction Co., Ltd. (Head office: Kitahonmachi, Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture; Representative Director: Yoichi Nakazawa; hereinafter "Kano Construction") will open Japan's first permanent sauna facility built with a "construction 3D printer" and open to the general public*1 in November 2023.
*1 Based on our own research, as a building that uses a Japanese-made construction 3D printer and dedicated system developed in-house, materials compliant with Japanese standards and more (July 2023)
- Project background
The construction industry in Japan faces a serious labor shortage and a heavy cost burden.
In the building sector, buildings such as homes, shops, schools, offices and hospitals are indispensable to daily life, but they are aging year by year, and many public facilities also require renovation work.
Driven by a desire to "update construction sites," Polyuse has been promoting projects in Japan and overseas using its own construction 3D printing technology, in order to support, from the technology side, building environments that many people can use more comfortably, regardless of boundaries.
Amid this, we had the opportunity to talk with Kano Construction, headquartered in Kochi Prefecture, and to hear about the realities of the local building industry and their hopes for the future. This reaffirmed for us how meaningful it is to take on challenges, including those described above, precisely because they originate in the region.
Kano Construction, which celebrated its 65th anniversary last year, then decided to kick off this project as one pillar of the challenges symbolizing the first step toward "a world that makes people say 'Wow!'", the keyword set out in its "2030 KANO VISION (Medium-Term Management Plan)." It is the first accommodation business for Kano Construction, which has mainly built residential buildings such as condominiums for sale.
- Project highlights
The project kicked off in January 2022.
After thorough meetings with all parties concerned, studies of the building specifications and repeated verification to optimize the construction method, we installed a construction 3D printer in Kochi Prefecture and carried out printing and manufacturing from August to September 2022. Since then, beyond construction, we have held repeated discussions on operations so that visitors can enjoy a comfortable stay, and are preparing for the official opening in November 2023.
- About Sauna Melange
The "melange" in the name refers to a mixed deposit of rocks of different origins and ages found in Geisei Village, Kochi Prefecture, which is designated as a natural monument. Inspired by the melange's distinctive patterns and its strata in which unusual structures intermingle, we named the sauna building, which fuses cutting-edge 3D printing technology with traditional building techniques, "Melange."
Sauna Melange is Japan's first Finnish-style sauna facility manufactured with a 3D printer. In the cave-inspired interior, natural light streaming in through small openings in the ceiling and indirect lighting softly bring out the wave-like layered patterns unique to 3D printing. A cold-plunge building stands next to the sauna. For cooling off in the open air, guests can enjoy a luxurious moment on the wooden deck on the roof of Sauna Melange, gazing out at the sea with the sound of the waves as background music.
Design and operational supervision is provided by Kohei Yoshinaga of SAUNA Grempia, which has many fans across Japan.
- Sauna Melange overview
Location: 59-2 Nishibun-otsu, Geisei Village, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture
Construction start: April 2022; Scheduled completion: September 2023 (pre-opening period until November)
Design and construction: Kano Construction
Operator: Geisei Project LLC (an accommodation business operator jointly established and funded by Kano Construction and Ishikawa Kyoei Real Estate Co., Ltd.)
Official website: Coming soon
[Creative Credits]
Directors: Ryutaro Nakaoka (Kano Construction) / Wataru Ooka, Taiyo Kamata (Polyuse)
Development members: Masashi Matsushita, Shota Nakagawa, Taiki Otomo, Keiichi Kudomi (Polyuse)
Design: Hiroshi Sawada, Mitsuhiro Nishiyama (Kano Construction)
Site supervisor: Taku Yamamoto (Kano Construction)
Design supervision: Teruhiro Kataoka (Kotona)
- Comments from project members
Ryutaro Nakaoka, General Manager, President's Office, Kano Construction
Taking on an accommodation business is itself a first for us since our founding, and we have been very excited as we prepare. As our plans for the accommodation business progressed, we were fortunate to connect with Polyuse. Spurred on by Representative Director Ooka's strong passion for "updating construction sites" and his overflowing love for his local Kochi, we decided to take on something with almost no precedent in the industry: printing part of the facility's buildings with a 3D printer. We hope this unique sauna facility will inspire many people to visit Geisei Village in Kochi Prefecture and discover the potential of Kochi, with its rich nature and the bounty of its mountains and sea.
Hiroshi Sawada, Manager, Design Section, Planning Department, Kano Construction
We placed great importance on how to make the most of the material's potential, and the key to the design was how to effectively showcase its texture and sense of mass. The theme was a sauna room inside a cave. Not only did we pay close attention to handling heat, which is so important for a sauna, but by building a glass box (the sauna room) inside the 3D-printed structure, we created a comfortable environment for sauna use, while the 3D-printed walls can be seen all around from inside the glass box. Lighting inside the sauna is kept to an absolute minimum, with uplighting softly illuminating the 3D-printed surfaces to create a cave-like feel and an extraordinary atmosphere.
Teruhiro Kataoka, Representative Director, Kotona
NAMITERRACE GEISEI stands on high ground overlooking Kotogahama Beach, which is visited even by sea turtles. Before you stretch a sea and sky in beautiful gradations of blue, and the grounds are planted with trees bursting with life as they bask in the sunlight. The unique, experimental buildings scattered across the site use cutting-edge digital technology, yet somehow convey the warmth of the human hand. In this blessed location, whether you stay on a yacht or step into the cave-like sauna, please enjoy a moment in which your sense of play is set free.
Wataru Ooka, Representative Director, Polyuse
Since the project kicked off at the beginning of last year, NAMITERRACE GEISEI (Nami Terrace Geisei) is now approaching its long-awaited completion, and Sauna Melange is about to open.
This announcement has been possible only thanks to the cooperation and support of many people. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude once again.
This project is a permanent sauna building printed with a Japanese-made construction 3D printer and combined with accommodation facilities, something without precedent in Japan.
I am grateful to have joined Kano Construction, the project leader, in a new challenge that only a regional builder could take on, and I hope we can continue to bring energy to the facility, the building industry and Kochi Prefecture together.
Kohei Yoshinaga, Representative, SAUNA Grempia
Sauna lovers make saunas the purpose of their travels, and even people who aren't sauna fans will think "Let's give it a try" if a facility has one. For facilities and communities where people gather, a sauna is one of the most powerful attractions. This design, fusing a construction 3D printer with a sauna room, is unprecedented even in the sauna industry, and I wrestled with how to supervise a "sauna that makes guests want to try it," even guests who aren't sauna lovers. But I believe we have created a "sauna building" that brings into perfect harmony the beauty of the printed forms, the sound of the Pacific waves, the sky and wind of Geisei Village, and the potential of the facility. As for the sauna settings... you'll have to step in and find out.
SAUNA Grempia: https://www.saunagrempia.com/
- Future plans
The use of construction 3D printers in Japan has only just begun.
Committed to research and development in Japan, Polyuse, as Japan's only construction 3D printer manufacturer, has built a growing track record across both public and private construction, from Japan's first public works projects (for MLIT and local governments) to Japan's first buildings.
Taking this project with Kano Construction as a starting point, we want to work with people involved in the construction industry to take on, nationwide, architecture that can only be expressed because it originates in the regions.
While advancing the research and development of 3D printers and materials with a wide variety of features better suited to Japanese conditions and standards, we will further drive construction DX in Japan's construction industry together with our partner companies nationwide through Polyuse's construction 3D printing technology.
■What Is a Construction 3D Printer?
A construction 3D printer is a specialized 3D printer used to construct buildings and structures. Compared with conventional construction methods, it can construct buildings more quickly and efficiently, and is expected to streamline construction processes and improve building quality. It is also expected to reduce labor requirements and improve safety on construction sites, and it further supports environmental goals such as the use of sustainable building materials and the reduction of waste.
Today, construction 3D printers are moving from the experimental stage to full-scale practical use in many countries, including Japan. Numerous countries and companies are working on the development and research of construction 3D printers, and the technology is considered likely to become widespread in the future as one that brings innovation to the building industry.
▶A pioneer of 3D-printed architecture! Even an ambassador came to see a "Japan first"!
▶Polyuse selected for "100 Startups Updating Architecture"
https://xtech.nikkei.com/atcl/nxt/mag/na/18/00178/
▶The near future of building dams with 3D printers: is "IoT concrete" on the way?
https://xtrend.nikkei.com/atcl/contents/18/00745/00019/?n_cid=nbpnxr_mled_new
▶Winner of the Excellence Award at MLIT's FY2022 Infrastructure DX Award
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000019.000049711.html
▶Selected as a J-Startup company by METI
https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2023/04/20230406003/20230406003.html
- About Polyuse Inc.
Company name: Polyuse Inc.
Location: 2-2-15 Hamamatsucho, Minato-ku, Tokyo (development base in Kanagawa Prefecture)
Representative Directors: Takuya Iwamoto / Wataru Ooka
Business: Planning, design, manufacture and sale of hardware, software and services specialized for the construction industry, centered on construction 3D printers
Founded: June 2019
URL: https://polyuse.xyz/
- About Kano Construction Co., Ltd.
Company name: Kano Construction Co., Ltd. (Kano Kensetsu)
Location: 4-3-25 Kitahonmachi, Kochi City
Representative Director: Yoichi Nakazawa
Business: Building construction (specified construction business). Operates condominium development, detached housing, public works and other businesses from two bases in Kochi and Okayama Prefectures
Founded: June 4, 1957
Incorporated: March 27, 1961
[Media inquiries regarding this release]
For inquiries about the accommodation and sauna facilities, please contact:
Kano Construction Co., Ltd., Attn: Nakaoka, General Manager, President's Office
Email: r-nakaoka@kano-kensetsu.com
TEL: 088-885-5888
For inquiries about construction 3D printers, please contact:
Polyuse Inc. Public Relations Department
Email: info@polyuse.xyz
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