An "angled, folded form" clad in charred cedar defines this holiday home, designed by Japanese studio Keiji Ashizawa Design to embrace the surrounding landscape while maintaining its inhabitants' privacy.
The studio designed the 225-square-metre holiday home for a family to use either alone or with guests.
Located on the Yatsugatake mountain plateau in central Japan, the house has an unusual shape that was designed to suit its surroundings.
"Although surrounded by abundant nature, the site sits within a residential area of holiday homes," studio founder Keiji Ashizawa told Dezeen.
"The house was carefully positioned and shaped to remain open to the surrounding landscape while avoiding direct views toward neighbouring properties," Ashizawa continued.
"The placement of the windows follows the same approach, framing nature while maintaining a sense of privacy."
The one-storey building has a gentle bend that creates angles that enclose its garden.
"In response to the surrounding views, the movement of natural light, and the scale of the house in relation to the landscape, an angled, folded form was developed to sit naturally within the site," Ashizawa said.
House in Yatsugatake was clad in yakisugi, a traditional Japanese charred cedar. The material was allowed to be used because the home is not in a densely populated area, where Japan has strict fire regulations.
"Unlike in central Tokyo, timber cladding is permitted in this area, allowing yakisugi to form an integral part of the exterior expression," Ashizawa said.
Ashizawa's studio also took the climate of the region into consideration when designing the house, which is located close to the road and also contains a garage.
"The house rests on a concrete foundation that becomes more exposed as the ground falls away across the sloping site," Ashizawa said.
"Its relatively high profile also responds to the winter snowfall of Yatsugatake, following a construction approach commonly found in timber houses in colder regions," Ashizawa continued.
The holiday home has a central entrance, with a living, dining and kitchen area, loft and guest room in the western wing and private rooms and bathrooms to the east.
Keiji Ashizawa Design used oak wood for the interior, which features exposed sloping beams and windows close to the roof that frame the garden.
A skylight above the mezzanine loft lets light into the living room area.
To create a connection with the garden, the studio added full-width timber-framed windows in the bathroom that give panoramic views of the surrounding forest.
"By carefully reading the existing topography, trees, light, and wind, and allowing the architecture to respond quietly to them, we sought to create a home in which the surrounding landscape gradually reveals itself over time," the studio said.
Keiji Ashizawa Design has previously created an eight-room Tokyo hotel and a holiday home in a historic machiya.
The photography is by Tomooki Kengaku.
Project credits:
Architect: Keiji Ashizawa Design
Project architect: Keiji Ashizawa, Kenji Kawami
Structural engineer: AS Associates, Akira Suzuki
Construction: Tanaka Jyuuken Co Ltd
Furniture, lighting: Karimoku Case, Kokuyo, Santa & Cole