Guesthouse N/k
The guesthouse was built on the bank of a small river running through a forest in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
The site is located on the other side of the stream from the front road, so it is approached across a bridge. The shape is long and narrow along the river, with a height difference of about 2 meters from upstream to downwards. In addition, a special condition imposed on this site was the requirement to consider countermeasures against mudslides.
The most important when designing architecture in the midst of nature is “to avoid being against nature.”
When the site is long and narrow, it is best to regard the slenderness of the site as an advantage to design a long and narrow building.
As a countermeasure against possible mudslides that may come from upstream, the building should have a solid structure to withstand the impact of the mudslides, and should be designed to catch the mudslides instead of holding them in place.
Even if the lower level of the building is buried by sediment, the building should be built on stilts, i.e., the living realm should be located on the upper level of the building.
The lower floor is a reinforced concrete structure, and the upper floor is a steel-frame construction.
The building is arranged to fit the slender shape of the site, with fully transparent glass walls facing the creek. This allows one to enjoy the feeling of living in a forest even when they are indoors.
An elevator is attached to the stairwell adjacent to the entrance. The public areas of the living, dining, and kitchen are located upstream area from the hall, and the owner's bedroom is detached across the terrace further upstream. From this space, they can appreciate the murmuring of the river in the distance.
Downstream side from the stair hall are three guest rooms. On the lower floor of this area, an administration room is allocated, and a carport for two vehicles is planned alongside it.
- LOCATION
- Karuizawa, JP
- PROGRAM
- Private residence
- YEAR
- 2023
- SIZE
- 644.17 sqm
- STRUCTURE
- Reinforced concrete, steel
- LEAD ARCHITECT
- Satoshi Okada
- TEAM
- Eiji Iwase, Daiki Kamiike, Lisa Tomiyama
- COLLABORATORS
-
- STRUCTURAL DESIGN:
- Hojo Structural Laboratory
- MECHANICAL DESIGN:
- Yamazaki Denko Corp, Taisei Corp.
- LIGHTING DESIGN:
- KOIZUMI Lighting Technology Corp.
- CONTRACTOR:
- SASAZAWA Construction Corp.
- PHOTO CREDITS:
- Satoshi Shigeta
