This Curvaceous Timber and Earth Cabin Blends Into a Japanese Forest
Japanese architect Tono Mirai—a pioneer of "earth architecture"—works with master artisans to craft a holiday retreat for a couple from Tokyo.
Japanese architect Tono Mirai—a pioneer of "earth architecture"—works with master artisans to craft a holiday retreat for a couple from Tokyo.
Deep in a forest in Nagano, Japan, a tiny rounded cabin appears to grow from the ground. Its rammed earth walls are clad in a "skin" of timber shingles that resonate with the surrounding trees. Known as Shell House, the cabin is the work of Japanese architect Tono Mirai, who is best known as a pioneer of "earth architecture."
Mirai designed the small rural retreat for a Japanese couple from Tokyo—a Shinto priest and a kindergarten director—and he took inspiration from what he describes as "the force of the place" to arrive at the organic form and sweeping internal space.
The shell is closed to the west and north elevations and open to the east and south elevations—an arrangement that responds to the location and orientation of the house in the forest.
Takeshi Noguchi
The 625-square-foot cabin is located in the forested mountains of Karuizawa, Nagano—one of Japan’s most famous summer resort towns. A small waterway runs past the site, and the cabin boasts views over Mount Asama, the most active volcano on the island of Honshū. "It is a beautiful site surrounded by forest," says Mirai. "For me, the place evokes the life force of nature."
The clients requested "architecture that is unusual, beautiful, and does not make you feel old in time". Over the years, the timber and earth used to construct the home will develop a rich patina.
Takeshi Noguchi
The home’s entrance is a timber door set into the "shell." This leads into the heart of the ground-floor living space, which opens out to a timber deck.
Takeshi Noguchi
See the full story on Dwell.com: This Curvaceous Timber and Earth Cabin Blends Into a Japanese Forest
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