Homes in Harmony with Nature｜Custom-built homes by architecture firms9Picks｜Dwelling Amidst Greenery, Earth, and Wind

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.

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.

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.

A rebuilding project for a two-generation residence in Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture. The site has very good views, but significant elevation differences within the site and with adjacent properties, and an aged cobble/river-stone retaining wall, made planning how to handle the grade differences a central concern.

A residence on a hillside in the suburbs of Sapporo planned from the land-search stage to allow city workers to live with Hokkaido's nature nearby. The building is placed on the north side of the site to secure a garden to the south. Large openings connect the interior and garden; the living room overlooks ski slopes, and a wood-burning stove with snowy scenery colors everyday life. The house features an open LDK with a double-height void, a spacious doma, and an efficient household workflow, and with high thermal insulation and airtightness plus a hybrid heat source, it enables comfortable year-round living close to the seasons.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

A building quietly set within the forest, with state-owned woodland extending to the north and views toward the foothills of Mount Asama to the south. The first floor accommodates a confectionery workshop, while the second floor serves as a residence, forming an integrated live-work dwelling. The design fosters an intimate relationship with the abundant natural landscape, where craft production and daily life gently interweave.