Column
 Homes in Harmony with Nature
KASA ARCHITECTS
KASA ARCHITECTS

Homes in Harmony with Nature｜Custom Home Examples by Architectural Offices17Picks｜Dwelling Amidst Greenery, Earth, and Wind

Author: Qurasuki Editorial Department
The desire to live in harmony with nature is one of the fundamental motivations behind creating a home. The green of the trees, the changing qualities of light and breeze through the seasons, the tactile presence of the earth beneath one's feet — to draw this richness of the natural environment into the interior requires a design perspective that carefully reads the site's topography, vegetation, sun exposure, and prevailing winds. By thoughtfully arranging building massing and orienting openings, architects can promote natural ventilation and create interiors in which seasonal change is perceptible. The practice designs homes that maximize the site's inherent natural conditions, harmonize with the surrounding landscape, and enable a long-term dialogue with nature. Here we present examples that harness the intrinsic qualities of the land.

Homes in Harmony with Nature

Two-Generation Residence Under One Roof | House at the Foothills of Mount Katsuragi

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates
A house set on the eastern foothills of Mount Yamato Katsuragi, crowned by a simple pitched triangular roof. Inhabited by a married couple, the mother, and two cats, the dwelling zones partially overlap to preserve a balanced distance between two-family separation and single-house cohabitation. The couple’s LDK on the ground floor connects to the second-floor landing, bedroom, and wet areas via a double-height stair with large windows and bookshelves. The mother’s program places the bedroom and wet areas on the ground floor and a compact LDK on the second floor. Outside, fields and the seasonal expression of Mount Katsuragi frame a slow-paced atmosphere.

Four Decks

Yosuke Tomiya Architectural Design Co., Ltd.
Working together from the search for a site, we chose a sloping plot with an elevation difference of approximately 2 m in response to the request for a home with split levels. Making full use of the existing terrain, we created a three-dimensional space in which four levels are gently connected through an atrium. As you move through the house, you encounter different views and a sense of the family’s presence. The home features windows that frame the surrounding mountain ridges and greenery of the park, a doma-like earthen-floored space connected to the garden, and flexible open areas that can be used for a variety of purposes. It is a home that transforms the difference in elevation into an asset while living in harmony with nature.

moment

*studioLOOP Architects
A single-story home for a family of five, set on a spacious 500-square-meter site. Taking advantage of the rural landscape to the north, abstract images reminiscent of a museum by the water or one set within a forest have been translated into the architecture and landscape design. The east–west volume temporarily blocks the view, creating an extraordinary experience as the reflecting pool and landscape unfold the moment the entrance door is opened. With the LDK at its center, the rooms are arranged around it, while deep eaves and exposed structural beams guide light and air, shaping a calm lifestyle in harmony with nature.

House in Okura

Atelier Cotocoto
This is a dwelling designed for a couple engaged in organic farming, harmonizing with nature. It aligns with their lifestyle principles and approach to craftsmanship, aiming to create spaces that gently soothe the fatigue of fieldwork. Natural materials such as solid cedar and diatomaceous-earth plaster are employed, and a fenestration strategy has been adopted to allow occupants to sense seasonal transitions and variations in light. The exterior also emphasizes the texture of wood, permitting enjoyment of the deepening patina over time. Additionally, a high-performance thermal insulation specification and a radiant heating-and-cooling system provide a comfortable indoor environment year-round. It is a serene and abundant residence that reflects the philosophy of natural circulation in the home.

Fan House

Yoshihiro Ito Architect & Associates
This is a three-household residence set on gently sloping ground. Taking advantage of its rich surroundings—with rural scenery extending to the south and tea fields spreading to the north—the house adopts a fan-shaped plan that embraces the landscape. Its open composition allows the natural scenery to be felt from anywhere in the home. The three households are gently connected by sliding fittings, ensuring a comfortable sense of distance while allowing the residents to remain aware of one another’s presence. It is a serene home that makes the most of the beauty of its materials, with white plaster walls and beautiful timber framing.

YMK

Takeshi Hirobe Architects
This home for a designer couple stands on a site surrounded by Karuizawa’s rich natural environment. By preserving the existing large Japanese maple trees and incorporating views opening toward the valley, the design brings the distinctive landscape of the site into everyday life. In response to the conditions particular to a cold region, a comfortable thermal environment is achieved through high-capacity thermal storage units and 24-hour air conditioning. A delicate timber truss and a three-dimensional spatial composition extending across five interconnected levels gently link the family’s diverse places of activity. It is a highland home where nature and everyday life quietly overlap.

House in Komoro

KASA ARCHITECTS
This single-story residence in Komoro City, Nagano Prefecture, is occupied by a couple and their two children. Taking advantage of site conditions with views of Mount Asama to the north and the Yatsugatake range to the south, the design is a simple dwelling with a mono-pitched roof that opens broadly to the south. To mitigate strong northerly winds in winter, north-facing openings are minimized, while the layout facilitates comfortable cross-ventilation from seasonal breezes. Deep eaves temper the summer sun, and the low, elongated horizontal lines impart a calm, composed presence.

YAMANARI — House Embracing the Mountain Ridge

YIA Ishiue Yoshihiro Architectural Design Office
A residence for a young couple who cultivate sudachi, embraced by Tokushima’s abundant mountain ranges. Taking advantage of the elevated site, an open plan was designed with a second‑floor living room and a tatami corner that look out over the expansive greenery. The relationship with the main house is mediated by a generous earthen‑floored doma and a double‑height void, creating a gentle connection while appropriately controlling sightlines to achieve a comfortable sense of distance. Interiors using natural materials—such as Lauan plywood and solid acacia timber—respond to the surrounding landscape, allowing the occupants to feel the changing seasons close at hand.

A House Living in Harmony with Wood

Ringo Studio, First-Class Architect's Office
A residence situated in the scenic conservation district of Ōmiya, connected to tranquil nature. Under a site‑coverage limit of 40%, a simple square planimetric and volumetric composition was employed to create a generous spatial extent. Openings boldly capture the light and breezes passing through the private road to the south and borrow the landscape of the neighboring house. Internally, a skip floor with a 1.5‑storey intermediate level secures floor area and openly links the spaces of differing heights. The spaces, finished in locally sourced Nishikawa cedar, form a beautiful building—underpinned by classical methods—where exterior and interior comfortably meld.

Villa by the Takano River

Echizen Design Laboratory
This house stands on a 100-square-meter site along Kyoto’s Takano River, overlooking the Matsugasaki Hills. Under the stringent conditions of a Special Scenic District, it makes the most of the limited floor area while achieving a spacious, expansive interior. A structural framework that draws on the individual characteristics of reinforced concrete, wood, and steel brings wind, light, sound, and the surrounding landscape into the home. It creates diverse places to inhabit between inside and outside, offering an open and spacious way of living that gently connects the city with nature.

Mountain Villa with a Large Tree

In-Ex Design Co., Ltd.
This compact yet generous dwelling sits at the foothills of Kitashirakawa. The starting point of the design was the family’s wish to live together with a large existing tree rooted on the site. In addition to a site layout planned to protect the tree, the exterior walls are carefully clad in narrow-width cedar boards, and the building itself is designed to age in concert with nature. Quietly blending into the surrounding landscape, it will deepen in character over time. It is a home that inherits the memories inscribed in the land and cultivates a new passage of time.

House in Takao

Mochizuki Architectural Atelier
The site is situated on the mountainside alongside a clear stream flowing from Mount Takao, configured as a parcel extended from the road that runs along the river. Access to the site requires ascending approximately 30 steps; the position offers views of the Takao mountain range to the south and a shrine and bamboo grove to the north. The building plan is kinked in an elbow-shaped configuration to respond to the regulated area on the north side: the living room is located at the plan’s centroid, from which the dining area, kitchen, and private rooms are arranged. The section adopts a pitched roof aligned with the southward slope; spaces are articulated by a continuous ceiling formed by LVL (laminated veneer lumber) rafters and by changes in floor levels, creating a comfortable domestic environment. Because the approach ascends from below, resulting in views that look up at the house, particular attention was paid to the termination and soffit detailing of the eaves.

House in Karuizawa

Kurashi no Jōzōsho
Set within a quiet villa enclave in Karuizawa, this residence was conceived for a retired couple and their cherished cat. Sited to embrace a richly natural environment—where the murmur of a stream and the whisper of trees are integral—the architecture is deliberately restrained in scale and expression so as not to dominate the landscape. The approach, which crosses a bridge en route to the entrance, functions as an intentional sequence of evolving views. Seasonal vistas framed by the windows and the subtle interplay of light and shadow impart a calm, poignant quality to daily life.

House Living with the Sky

Archiplace
This dwelling, designed for a couple in their thirties and their child, adopts a simple, modern and natural aesthetic. To comply with strict area and height regulations, part of the volume is sunk as a semi‑basement, above which a two‑storey timber structure is arranged. A split‑level configuration from the semi‑basement up to the loft produces a sense of spatial expansiveness and an efficient domestic circulation. On the south side a walled deck terrace provides an outdoor space that integrates with the living‑dining‑kitchen, admitting light and ventilation so occupants can feel connected to nature despite the urban location.

A Music Pavilion Nestled in Greenery

JYU ARCHITECT
It is a satellite pavilion with a small performance space, planned for people who love music. By configuring approximately two-thirds of the building as a sloped, double-height volume, a generous interior was achieved while keeping the overall height restrained. The roof form, which sits quietly within the surrounding context, is directly employed in the interior acoustic design. The resonance of a grand piano, various instruments, and the human voice diffuses pleasantly, creating a space that envelops rich sound from solo to ensemble. It functions as a refined small music hall where architecture and music quietly resonate.

Karuizawa Terrace

Mitsuhiro Kojima Architects
This villa for an art collector is sited on a north-facing slope. The rooms are linked in a bead-like sequence so that each movement presents a different view; the intent is to enable an embodied experience of nature rather than merely observing it. Window shapes and proportions vary from room to room, each framing a distinct landscape. In addition, the staircase connecting the first and second floors is deliberately located outdoors, creating a circulation path that ensures contact with nature as part of everyday life. The result is a quiet retreat where one can engage deeply with the natural environment, perceiving changes in light, breeze, humidity, and sound through the senses.

Forest Living

KICHI ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
“Forest Living” is a single-story residence situated within a dense forest. The exterior is clad in traditional Japanese yakisugi (charred cedar), whose subdued black finish naturally melds with the surrounding woodland landscape. The building is organized on a single level, with a plan that provides forest views from every room. By experiencing the expanse of greenery through the windows, occupants are afforded a quiet, tranquil mode of living.