Project: Four Leaves Villa
Architects: KIAS
Location: Karuizawa, Japan
Area: 2,421 sf
Photographs by: Norihito Yamauchi
The Four Leaves Villa is a beautiful mountain retreat located in Karuizawa, Japan, about 93 miles away from Tokyo. As its name suggests, the exterior of this villa resembles a pile of leaves and fits perfectly in the middle of the Karuizawa forest.
The Four Leaves Villa is designed by Kentaro Ishida Architects Studio (KIAS) in a way where every space is set in the best orientation, for example the living and dining room face the south-east side so that they get the biggest exposure to sunlight. At the same time, the master bedroom and bathroom face the west where their privacy is guaranteed by the beautiful scenery of a dense forest.
The villa is located in a forest in Karuizawa, Nagano prefecture of Japan. The privately owned villa is designed to accommodate the owners and their friends in the rich natural environment at a mountain retreat 150 kilometers away from Tokyo.
In order to acquire specific natural scenery and light environment, each living function faces its own desired orientation. Living and dining space faces south-east for a brighter living environment while the master bedroom and bathroom face west offering private scenery of the forest. These compartments are assembled into three interconnected volumes that are placed on site among the pre-existing trees.
In order to form variable cross section suitable for each function, roofs were designed as curved surface like gently twisted leaves. Combination of a concave and a convex roof configures from a high ceiling expansive space to an introverted compact rooms. Every roof has been designed as a Ruled Surface in which straight Laminated Veneer Lumber joists are arranged continuously to form an organic geometry. A series of wooden joists is exposed on the ceiling highlighting the dynamic spatial characters of each living space.
The design process that responds to its environmental context has produced multiple organic roofs and established architecture as an aggregate of diverse living spaces. The appearance of the villa blends in harmoniously with the natural surroundings and is perfectly integrated to the local landscape.
–KIAS
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