F&F Project

Niseko, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, 2011

Located in the vicinity of Hokkaido’s most prominent volcano, Mt. Yotei, this project sets out to provide 30 some residences for a community of relaxed leisure seekers.

While the area’s trend is to have all-comprising chalets of super luxury, the essence of the F&F project is focus: The houses are shelters of simplicity with the aim to engage with the surrounding natural assets.

The strategy to place the 32 units and a communal facility on the site followed the principle of a theatre: Maximising one’s own views without obstructing others. The site’s gentle slope at the foot of Niseko’s skiing mountains not only allows for ski-in but is also like a theatre seating rake with Mt. Yotei on the stage.

The client asked for simple construction methods, consideration of the severe snow conditions, and a concept of coherent individuality.

The overall structure is based on a simple pitched roof whose ridge moves in response to interior programme and exterior constraints. Not one house is alike, yet all are part of a larger series, a field brushed by the wind.