Architecture Asia - ARCASIA Awards for Architecture 2018

Situated alongside lake Chuzenji, this shoreline cottage guesthouse
was designed with a continuous wrap-around walkway
flowing from the approach to the bedrooms. The wrap around
design invites visitors to follow the water’s edge, enjoying the various
views along the way.
At the same time, this wrap-around style creates awareness of
various aspects of the lake environment, as the distance to the
water changes the sound of ripples, reflections and the influence
of the lake on humidity temperatures. Since the whole place –
which consists of various elevations – is connected to be a long
space, there is no uniform indoor environment. Various areas have
differing thermal environments, such as the fireplace area that
warms and dries the air.
Visitors wander around, discovering and enjoying spots created
by the lakeshore that they find comfortable. Located in an area
that requires some heating in the building even during summer,
one may find joy in the warmth near the fireplace, while another
may relish the area’s tranquillity and coolness. The building is
closed during the cold winter season as not to waste energy.
BIM was utilised from the design stage, enabling a sequence of
line of sights (via windows and other openings) to be carefully controlled,
providing beautifully framed views of the surroundings. BIM
also allowed for the simulation of the flow of natural breezes.
ARCHITECTURE ASIA ISSUE 3 2018
19