Fact File
Location: Japan
Size: 5300 sq m
Principal Architect: Kengo Kuma
Photography by: Frédéric Ducout

The Water Cherry Villa by Kengo Kuma & Associates has been constructed on a volcanically formed coastline cliff in a national park just outside of Tokyo. The abstraction of a modern architectural form has been integrated with traditional Japanese aesthetics. The 5300-square-metre site was pristine, and the master architect intended to keep it that way—creating a home that would become part of the surreal landscape. Soft materials like Japanese cedar, cypress, ash, paper, and tatami mats have been employed to showcase the traditional style. In the interior spaces, indirect light is abundant—another mainstay of Japanese design.

The design concept sees several individual units connected through exterior walkways, gardens, and waterbodies that unite the structure, thereby creating the feeling of “floatation,”—further emphasised by the sleek metal frames and use of mirrored glass. Featuring eight main rooms, three guest rooms, and one master bedroom, the villa also integrates a traditional Japanese “onsen” and a study room—all connected in a design language that mimics an archipelago. Appealing to the auditory sense, a small waterfall contributes to the already lush soundscape provided by the surrounding nature.