Florian Busсh Architects: House in the Woods of Hokkaido

Tokyo-based architectural studio Florian Busch Architects has built a house in the woods on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The building is located in the middle of a forest, is made of wood and is shaped like a tree branch. Hokkaido is the northernmost island of Japan, famous for its volcanoes, hot springs and ski resorts.

The house, built by the studio led by Florian Busch, is located very close to the ski slopes of Niseko. Enchanted by the beauty of the region, but worried about the encroachment of civilization, the owners, a large family, sought solitude in the forest. The silence that reigns here is an alternative to the bustle of the winter resort.

The plot is an almost perfect square, about 160 meters on a side, planted with tall pine trees. There is a clearing in the untouched forest, but Florian Busch, instead of planting the building in the center, moved it to the edge, close to the trees. A narrow country road along the northern boundary provides the only access to the plot. An artificial embankment keeps it visually isolated from the road.

The house develops horizontally and resembles a tree in plan. The end of each “branch” opens onto the surrounding forest. The architect carefully considered what view the inhabitants would see through each of the windows. “While the walls of the house physically separate us from the forest, the focus and scale of the windows enhance the connection with them – people feel like they are living in a forest,” says Florian Busch. – In the central part of the house, the clearly directional focus gives way to versatility: multiple views of the surrounding forest fill the space.

The architect recalls that the technical task received from the clients concerned not so much the house as the forest and the relationship with it. “Our building is the result of research and response to the environment, we sought to create a place where family members can be both together and on their own, but in either case feel part of nature. The house in the forest is not a fixed form, but a constantly evolving dialogue.”