House on the Slopes

Hirafu, Hokkaido, Japan, 2011

Asked for a feasibility study of what can be done at a 30 and more degrees sloping site with one defining view of Mt Yotei, but at the same time creating as much garden space as possible, we proposed a building that climbs up the slope along the site’s contours between existing trees and thereby duplicates its footprint as roof gardens.

As if a large volume had been incised and pulled apart along the slope, interstices are created and open up gardens flowing in and out of the building. Following the topography, these gardens create a variety of levels of the site and together with the fully accessible roof space generate a differentiated yet continuous diversity of inside and outside spaces.

The building’s interior is accessed by meandering up the slope along a gently inclined trajectory that embraces its natural surroundings and thereby renders them accessible and experienceable. At each turn, private rooms enjoy stunning views of their surroundings.

The elongated shape gives the building panoramic sequences that fully exploit the site’s main view. While this view of Mt Yotei is a driving factor of the design, the less obvious yet in complement just as intriguing closeness of the surroundings that flow in and out of the building make the entire building a kaleidoscope of Hokkaidian facets.