Project Name: KM Lake Kawaguchi Forest House

Location: Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan

Design Team: Yo Yamagata Architects

Area: 143.54 m²

Completion: May 2024

Photographs: Forward Stroke Inc.

Feature：

Project - The KM Lake Kawaguchi Forest House exemplifies the seamless integration of architecture with natural topography. Located at the foot of Mount Fuji, this vacation residence demonstrates an innovative interpretation of site-responsive design through its distinctive floating form. The building employs a simple rectangular volume that engages in a sophisticated dialogue with the sloping terrain through masterful structural design.

The project's most striking feature is its clever split-level design and cantilever structure. The second-floor wooden living space creates dramatic overhangs of up to 3.64 meters above the concrete base, achieving a compelling floating effect. Through carefully orchestrated window placements and floor level variations, the architect creates diverse spatial experiences within a unified open plan. The exterior terrace is ingeniously carved into the building mass rather than projecting outward, ensuring privacy while creating comfortable semi-outdoor spaces.

The building's environmental response is evident in its respect for the existing topography. Through the adoption of a gentle sloping roof that mirrors the terrain and minimized ground contact, the architecture maintains the site's natural character. Carefully controlled sightlines both protect user privacy and maximize engagement with the surrounding landscape, providing rich visual experiences for interior spaces.

The villa showcases innovative material application: reinforced concrete for the first floor and wood construction with partial steel reinforcement for the second floor, perfectly balancing structural requirements with design expression. The project successfully demonstrates how to create poetic architectural spaces within rigorous technical constraints.

Design Team - Yo Yamagata Architects, established in 2002 in Kawasaki, Japan, has earned recognition for its profound understanding of the relationship between architecture and environment, and its innovative designs across residential and public projects.

Yo Yamagata, following his graduation from Tokyo Institute of Technology's Architecture Department in 1985, gained valuable international experience, including a significant tenure at OMA in the Netherlands (1994-1996). These experiences shaped his unique architectural perspective and methodology.

The firm's design philosophy emphasizes the uniqueness of each project, rejecting predetermined stylistic approaches. They believe exceptional architecture emerges from deep dialogue between architect, client, and site. The practice spans a broad spectrum, encompassing architectural design, interior design, landscape architecture, and urban planning, reflecting their commitment to architecture's multidisciplinary nature.

The team is renowned for their rigorous design methodology and attention to detail. They excel particularly in creating harmonious integrations between buildings and their natural contexts, producing spaces that both respond to site characteristics and fulfill user needs. The firm's work has garnered numerous significant awards and maintains a highly respected position within Japan's architectural community.