NOTA (formerly NOT A HOTEL) has revealed two new projects in Japan designed by Tadao Ando and Herzog & de Meuron. The hospitality operator has also released updated visuals for a previously announced development on Yakushima by Ateliers Jean Nouvel.
Image credit: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
Image credit: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
The new Tadao Ando-designed villa will be located along the coast of Japan’s Kinki region, characterized by a circular roof and an organically shaped reflecting pool. The scheme uses concrete to establish a geometric composition combining straight and curved forms.
Image credit: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
Image credit: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
The design is intended to respond to changing light conditions throughout the day and across seasons, while establishing a relationship between the built structure and the coastal surroundings. The firm describes the intention of the scheme as to create a place where “one lives in harmony with the ocean.”
Image credit: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
Image credit: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
“The peninsula’s landscape is beautiful, yet fierce,” said Tadao Ando. “How do we create architecture that can hold its own against such power? It is a truly difficult task. Yet, it is a challenge that stirs the spirit.”
Image credit: Herzog & de Meuron
Image credit: Herzog & de Meuron
Meanwhile, Herzog & de Meuron has designed a NOTA villa in Okinawa. The project comprises two horizontal slabs extending from a cliff toward the sea, framing views toward the horizon and creating a strongly horizontal profile within the landscape. A third slab contains an infinity pool and also functions as an outdoor terrace overlooking the ocean.
Image credit: Herzog & de Meuron
Image credit: Herzog & de Meuron
“Our design for this unique location reflects both a deep respect for that nature and the sense of uplift it inspires,” Jacques Herzog said about the scheme. “By employing a diverse range of materials that appeal to both sight and touch, and by creating a sequence of spaces that shift in scale and proportion, we aim to enrich the sensory experience of those who visit.”
Image credit: Herzog & de Meuron
Image credit: Herzog & de Meuron
In addition to the two new designs, the company has also released new visuals for NOTA YAKUSHIMA, a previously announced project by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Located on the forested Japanese island of Yakushima, the development is conceived as a composition of rock and glass integrated into the surrounding landscape.
Image credit: Ateliers Jean Nouvel
Image credit: Ateliers Jean Nouvel
“The most sophisticated things belong to nature — its landscapes, its paths, its reliefs, the views that will be revealed; everything else is absence,” Nouvel explained. “This project is not about creating for those who wish to live here but about falling in love — with a tree, a blade of grass, or a stone. Like a collector of modern art, one finds in stones, gardens, or bare ground the ideal way to experience the island. It’s nature, it’s a place, it’s a work of art, it’s rain, it’s the sound of water.”
Image credit: Ateliers Jean Nouvel
Image credit: Ateliers Jean Nouvel