A traditional Japanese wood construction

This is the Inbetween House. It’s located in Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan and it was completed in 2010. The house was a project by Koji Tsutsui Architect & Associates and it was designed by Koji Tsutsui, Satoshi Ohkami, structural engineer ANARCHItects (CG), Hirotsugu Tsuboi and general contractor Sasazawa Construction, Inc. The property measures 178,43 square meters.

Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10

The Inbetween House is actually a set of mountain cabins that are located in the middle of a forest of Japanese larch trees in a mountainous region outside Tokyo. It was designed as a retreat. The client’s requested a house that would confound with the landscape and that would even be hard to spot on the site. They wanted it to be confused with the natural environment, culture and local topography.

Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10
Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10
Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10
Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10
Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10
Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10

The Inbetween House is formed of five houses that share one big roof. The architecture is based on a traditional Japanese method of timber construction. Local and skilled builders created each part of the structure. Each of the five houses has been rotated 30 degrees to best fit the topography and to offer the best views.

Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10
Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10
Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10
Inbetween House Koji Tsutsui Architect Associates10

The ceilings of these houses have slopes and gaps and these elements act as a single fluid structure. There’s also a large balcony. The volumes are interconnected and the overall structure is flexible and meets all requirements needed by future changes or additions.{pics by Iwan Baan}