Shell House Karuizawa / Artechnic Architects

Located in the forest of Karuizawa, Japan, the futuristic Shell House designed by Japanese architecture firm Artechnic is one-of-a-kind design boasts the cross-section of a seashell, with its double-elliptical shapes and curves.

Architects: Kotaro Ide / Artechnic architects
Location : Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan
Photographs: Nacasa & Partners

A large shell shaped structure finds itself in the middle of the woods. It is hard to determine what exactly the structure is, and unlike the surrounding caves and rocks, it clearly is not a part of nature – nor is it a ruin. A frame, a shape, made at a completely different place for a completely different purpose. Within this shell shaped structure will one find floors constructed, wall separating spaces, and rooms furnished. The scenery conjures a SF film-like image, in which locals inhabit over an abandoned spacecraft. With time, trees start to grow encircling the spacecraft, harmonizing it into the landscape.