Shishi-iwa House reveals SSH No.03 by Ryue Nishizawa in Karuizawa, Japan
Shishi-iwa House launches SSH No.03 by Ryue Nishizawa, a fresh addition to the ambitious Japanese hotel's Karuizawa campus
SSH No.03 is the third piece of architecture to open at Shishi-Iwa House Karuizawa, the ambitious Japanese hotel that taps into the potential of quality architecture to impact emotions and enhance wellbeing.
The new Japanese architecture addition comprises a scattering of minimalist black 'boxes', appearing to float in the forest, separate yet connected, with hovering walkways, corridors and hidden gardens just visible through the trees. An unfolding dialogue between nature and architecture takes centre stage. SSH No.03 is the brainchild of Ryue Nishizawa and marks the established Japanese architect’s first hotel project, set to open in May 2023 in Karuizawa, the scenic mountain town an hour by bullet train from Tokyo.
Shishi-iwa House’s SSH No.03 by Ryue Nishizawa
Nishizawa’s creation sits alongside two existing timber structures designed by fellow Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban. The spaces are just minutes apart on foot, surrounded by forests and mountains.
SSH No.03 consists of a modular network of ten, discrete two-storey pavilions, defined by angular tilted roofs, black façades of charred cedar cladding and cut-out windows. In a sharp visual contrast, the interiors offer a distinct sense of lightness – with every structural element (from floors to ceilings, walls, cupboards, and bathtubs) wrapped in pure white aromatic hinoki cypress wood, a long-revered Japanese species typically used in imperial residences, shrine and temples.
A sense of transparency and a blurring of boundaries – between humans and nature, light and dark, inside and out – were key elements in the design, according to Nishizawa, founder of Office of Ryue Nishizawa and co-founder of Tokyo architectural studio SANAA.
'SSH No.03 is about the co-existence of nature and architecture,' explains Nishizawa. 'We were asked if it would be possible to transform a traditional Japanese architectural style into something contemporary, in relation to a wooden structure. We came up with the idea of several pavilions scattered through nature, without creating one single big box architecture. People can feel inside and outside at the same time. There is a sense of transparency in terms of spatial and temporal flow.'
Beneath its contemporary form and minimalist lines, SSH No.03’s foundations are rooted in traditional Japanese wood architecture. Key to this is Nishizawa’s use of a centuries-old tatami mat measurement system for the project, resulting in deeply complex jigsaw puzzle-like calculations that form the structure.
The pavilions – home to ten guest rooms and one larger villa – are serene, light-flooded havens, with surfaces wrapped in hinoki, mainly from Gifu Prefecture, alongside windows framing seasonal views plus either luxury Western beds or tatami mat flooring and futons. 'Hinoki is one of the most popular and important woods in Japan,' says Nishizawa. 'When the Japanese make something important, they use hinoki – for example in Ise Jingu, the most important shrine in Japan.'
Not dissimilar to the feeling of being inside a tearoom or a temple, a sense of stillness permeates SSH No.03. It is the spatial manifestation of the traditional Japanese concept of ma (or negative space), which focuses on what lies in-between and is as important as the physical structure. This can be experienced firsthand by guests while enjoying modern tea rituals in the teahouse, soaking in the bathhouse or savouring traditional sweets in the ochanoma lounges.
As was the case with Ban, Nishizawa was given complete freedom to design the interiors and curate the pavilions' furniture. The result offers a rare purity of creative vision throughout the space.
Alongside moon-like Flos lighting, Japanese antiques and – selected by the owner, Cecilie Manz-designed 1616/Arita Japan porcelain cups – is a roll call of design classics: from 1898 bentwood stools by Michael Thonet, and teak and cane 1955 ‘Easy Chairs’ by Swiss architect Pierre Jeanneret, to the smooth curves of Arne Jacobsen’s 1958 ‘Swan’ chairs.
The featured art becomes an additional layer of creativity behind the Shishi-Iwa House concept. An impressive array of paintings can be found in SSH No.01, while photography is showcased in SSH No.02. In SSH No.03, it’s all about woodblock prints, both traditional and contemporary, on the walls.
Shishi-Iwa House owner Huy Hoang, founder of HDH Capital Management, a Singapore-based investment company, says: 'Nishizawa’s architecture is somehow there but not there, allowing a direct connection between humans in a sheltered space and the surrounding nature. This third project adds a layer of wellness, spirituality and meditation to Shishi-Iwa House Karuizawa.'
Shishi-Iwa House Karuizawa opened in 2019 with SSH No.01 by Shigeru Ban, an undulating structure designed to snake through forest trees. Ban’s second structure opened last year, defined by its signature curved sky walk approach. Kazuyo Sejima, fellow co-founder of SANAA, is currently working on SSH No.04 in Hakone, due to open by 2025.
-
Škoda’s flagship EV is given a design twist to turn it into a compact camper
The Škoda Enyaq iV 80 FestEVal all-electric camper is a clever piece of packaging from the brand, ready for festival season
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Filicudi gallery hosts exhibition of Barber Osgerby’s designs
The tiny Italian island of Filicudi hosts an exhibition of new and archival works by Barber Osgerby, including the studio's first collaboration with a weaver
By Rosa Bertoli • Published
-
Brussels' Mix Hotel opens in the former headquarters of La Royale Belge
For the new Mix Hotel, Lionel Jadot completed the interior overhaul of the former headquarters of La Royale Belge in Brussels
By Emma O'Kelly • Published
-
Modern Japanese houses inspiring minimalism and avant-garde living
We tour the best Japanese architecture and modern Japanese houses designed by international and local architects that open up possibilities for all types of lifestyle, from minimalist to communal in Japanese architecture.
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Sou Fujimoto temporary hall for the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine features 'floating forest'
A new Sou Fujimoto temporary hall for the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Japan is revealed, completed with an elevated, lush green roof
By Danielle Demetriou • Published
-
C4L is a modern Japanese house with a traditional twist
Traditional architecture and notions of home inform modern Japanese house C4L by Hitoshi Saruta / CUBO design architect
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Azabudai Hills to bring a slice of wildness to Tokyo’s megacity
Heatherwick Studio’s design for Azabudai Hills aims to bring some soulfulness and a slice of wildness to the megacity
By Danielle Demetriou • Published
-
Takeshi Hirobe’s weekend home uses clever geometries to dramatic effect
Villa MKZ by Takeshi Hirobe Architects is a weekend home in Japan's Minamiboso City that celebrates its awkward site
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Rebuilt Shigeru Ban houses launch at the architect’s Simose Art Museum in Hiroshima
A series of rebuilt Shigeru Ban houses become available to experience and rent at the Simose Art Museum, designed by the same architect, in Hiroshima, Japan
By Jens H Jensen • Published
-
Tomoaki Uno’s forest-inspired office in Japan is mesmerising
Tomoaki Uno's new office and events space in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture offers a way through the woods
By Yuki Sumner • Published
-
Circus tent structure inspires this Japanese holiday home for a car lover
Hitoshi Saruta of Cubo Design Architect draws on the circus tent structure for his latest residential offering, a holiday home in Japan, called The Circus
By Ellie Stathaki • Published