Surrounded by rolling hills covered in lush green trees, place names and burial mounds reminiscent of hills, as well as rivers relied upon by the agricultural industry, the building site is set in a large hilly area where cross sections of the stratum are exposed in some places.
Thus, we set out to integrate into our design the structure of the surrounding hilly landscape while echoing the natural power of its hills, strata, and rivers.
The construction follows a U-shaped layout centered around a courtyard.
The exterior of the building is mostly white with balconies decked by a random arrangement of colored glass panel3s symbolizing the sky and greenery surrounding the site.
The courtyard abstracts the structure of the surrounding landscape by putting forward elements giving it the dynamic appearance of its natural environment, such as a gently undulating circular bench, polygonal planters, circular lawn patches, and floors colored as bodies of water, thus creating a soft and enveloping space for its users.
Illuminated polygonal recesses dot the entire ceiling of the entrance hall revealing natural motifs, such as azure skies, sunlight filtering through green foliage and exposed sloping strata.
Each illuminating body has a rough and glossy texture that calls back to the rising power of the hilly grounds and the light shining off the water surface of the rivers. The resulting shadows and changing patterns fill up the whole space with the lively power and sparkle of nature.
Moreover, the juxtaposition of the ceiling lighting units and the box-shaped structures on the walls create in turn dynamic or subtle changes depending on the position of the viewer and the angle of the line of sight. This visual tapestry reveals a space giving a rich sense of diverse textures and rhythms.
Resonating with the landscape of rolling hills, the residential building channels and gives form to the natural energy embedded in multiple layers of intertwined strata.
Team:
Design Firm: MORIYUKI OCHIAI ARCHITECTS
Design Member: Moriyuki Ochiai, Jillian Lei, Xingguang Li
Developer: Shinnihon Corporation
Constructor: Shinnihon Corporation
Special Paint: Osamu Yamaguchi
Lighting: Kayo Yokoyama (Koizumi )
Photography: Takumi Ota
