Architecture News Plus (ANP) – Architecture and Design Magazine

Villa kaleidoscope

This is a project by Cell Space Architects and it is located at Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. There are ten images for Villa kaleidoscope.

: © Takeshi Yamagishi

Project images

Designer's statement

The villa was built for a couple in their fifties and their daughter to spend their leisure time. It is located at Karuizawa, the famous Japanese summer resort. The villa is on a slope facing Mt. Asama and the building was planned to look as though it is floating in a stand of trees. The structure is in two parts; the ground floor is made from reinforced concrete and the larger upper floor is made from wood and extends on all sides beyond the lower floor. The interior is decorated with plaster and Japanese cypress wood. The cream yellow colour of the inner walls is intended to blend the building and the autumn leaves, when the landscape is at its most scenic. The exterior walls of both floors are roughly hexagonal in shape with the interior walls laid out in honeycomb fashion.

The tatami room occupies the centre of the building with the terrace, the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom surrounding the tatami room. Although each room is a small, open designs give an impression of space and allow a view of the outside.

Mirrored walls reflect the light and add to the feeling of space and as people walk through the building the reflected views give a kaleidoscopic visual effect.

Architects: Mutsue Hayakusa - Cell Space Architects
Structural engineering: Space and Structure Engineering Workshop Inc.
Construction manager: Ichikawayasu Construction
Location: Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture
Type: Villa
Structure: Reinforced concrete, timber frame 2 stories
Height: 5934mm
Site area: 768.47sqm
Total floor area: 83.81sqm; 1st: 17.13sqm; 2nd: 66.68sqm
Design Period: September 2004-March 2005
Construction Period: April2005-November 2005
Photographer: Takeshi Yamagishi