Guest House in the Japanese Forest

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Architect Keisuke Kawaguchi from the Japanese studio Keisuke Kawaguchi + K2-Design has created a guest house, locating it between the existing trees without disturbing the natural environment of the forest.

Living in a Deep Forest

Daisen guest house in the Japanese forest

Daisen guest house, situated in a wood area at the foot of Daisen mountain, is composed of many interconnected houses, winding among centuries-old pine and cherry trees in the forest Piedmont Daisen, Japan.

Building such a structure in a dense forest without damaging the nature took a long and meticulous work of architects and design engineers: every element of the cluster was developed separately, each had to be organically integrated into the complex, and placed rightly at the site. Living areas of the house are raised above the ground – it solves several problems at once: snow drifts in winter and better cooling in summer. In addition, it provides guests with great view from the windows – nothing but greens and the trees.

Sensitive dialogue with land is in need for the house, the main idea is to coexist with nature,” says Kawaguchi. “The plan of the building has been projected in accordance with this idea.”

The architect has not touched the surrounding trees. The functional spaces of the building are located in the gaps between the trees. The roofs are put at different angles, like the tree branches, and the short corridors connect the rooms.

The largest house is a living room with floor to ceiling windows and a terrace. Inside the houses the walls are painted in light colors, and a ceiling is slated with wood. Each room has large windows that look like painting frames for surrounding nature. And the changing of the seasons creates vivid, colorful composition.