Architects: Takahiro Endo Photography: Yasuhiro Nakayama Construction Period: 2023 Location: Karuizawa, Japan
This is a plan to rebuild a villa for 14 people in four families. The owner’s family had owned a villa in this area for many years and had a vast amount of experience. The site is located in a vast forest of chestnut, fir, and dogwood trees, and the neighboring houses cannot be seen. In the summer, they cooled watermelons in the stream at the bottom of the valley, and in the fall, they went out into the forest to pick chestnuts, and the way the owners spent their time was to learn from what they saw. Every year during summer vacation, all the members come to stay here for a week.
A “place” to receive experiences
The owner summed up the experience of coexisting with others while cooking three meals, cleaning, and doing laundry as like a training camp.” The design was based on these two experiences:going out into the woods” and something like a training camp.”
