Forest Bath by Kyoko Ikuta + Katsuyuki Ozeki

Located in the forest of Karuizawa, the Forest Bath is a single-story summer house with a steep gabled roof and a triangular void courtyard extracted from its center.

Architects: Kyoko Ikuta Architecture Laboratory, Katsuyuki Ozeki
Location: Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Photographs: Tomohiro Sakashita, Shinkenchiku-sha / JA+U

Designed for an old couple from Tokyo, the house is a pure space to spend time rather than planning to do something special, expose bodies into the woods, look at the trees and sunbeams shining through the branches, or do nothing.

The rooms on the two wings are contrastively darker than the center room, and they are illuminated by the wavering light coming from the center room. Through the low eaves, the view enters the space which leads to the bottom grass of the woods.

Inspiration from architect:

Wooden shade is reflected in the center room dug by the triangle from a high position, and it changes every moment as time goes by. A natural expression is translated and expressed in forms, such as the shade of a tree and light, on a white canvas.