Daikanyama Aqualab

Project Data

Architect: MON Architects, Tokyo
Products used: Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board Indoor

Project Details

A perfect blend of form and function made possible by Knauf AQUAPANEL®

Take a dip in the AQUALAB and you’ll immediately notice the beautiful surfaces and relaxing lighting effects, designed to make workouts more enjoyable. But dive deeper and you’ll discover that a unique material is making everything go swimmingly.  

For the award-winning designers at MON Architects, creating a counter-current swimming pool in an existing Tokyo building presented a unique challenge. As Toshiaki Mizuma of MON Architects put it:

“Our concept was for a high-performance exercise space made comfortable with lighting and sound effects. But to make it a success we needed a material that could handle the noise and vibration of the running water system, as well as being resistant to the moisture and chlorine of a swimming pool.”

To bring their concept to life, MON Architects chose Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board Indoor, which hit the sweet spot of form and function that Toshiaki Mizuma had in mind. “AQUAPANEL® could endure the humid, chlorinated indoor environment, while also presenting a flat and seamless surface for paint, porcelain tiles and ceramic sound-insulation boards. Also, because of AQUAPANEL®’s water resistance, durability, lightness and workability, we could expect a shorter construction period.”

By using Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board Indoor as the substrate for AQUALAB’s walls and ceiling, MON Architects achieved a finish that is not only water-resistant and airtight, but also aesthetically pleasing. The last word on the project goes to Toshiaki Mizuma: “In four years since completion, there has been no cracking on the painted surface, nor any humidity damage to the pool’s electronic equipment. It’s exactly as we hoped and expected!”