Hoshinoya Fuji
HOSHINOYA Fuji stands halfway up the hill along Lake Kawaguchi in the Yamanashi Prefecture. It consists of two zones; the first is the cabin zone, overlooking Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi and the second is a cloud terrace in the pines. The concept in derived from a combined consideration of Glamorous and Camping. When designing the hotel we thought about the way one enjoys the outdoors with glamour.
Cabin zone
The cabin zone has a scenic view of Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi. Each cabin includes a spacious room, large terrace and full height window framing a view of Mt. Fuji. The goal of the design was to create a cohesive mass made up of individual units. Due to the limited area, shifting each of the 40 cabins slightly allowed for all to have the desired view of Mt. Fuji. When guests enters the tube-shaped space, their attention is directed toward the scenic view of Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi through the large window. The elements of the room are kept simple to allow the consciousness to focus on the scenery. The approach to each cabin avoids direct views to Mt. Fuji to allow more focus in the rooms. Upon entry, guests are immediately confronted with the scenic view. To enjoy the view, there is a bench by the window. Out on the terrace these is a large built-in sofa, lowered to floor level, to minimize interference with the view from the rest of the room.
Cloud Terrace zone
The Cloud Terrace zone is elevated higher up the hillside from the cabin zone. This zone has no views of Mt. Fuji, in turn focusing on play and relaxation in the forest. And this zone includes the Dining Hall and the Library Cafe. It is elevated between the trees making it feel as if it were floating in the forest. The focus of the site design was to create a dynamic site plan utilizing the 50 meters elevation difference. By doing so it provides two completely different ways of enjoying the surroundings. When guests enter they are provided with various ways to relax and enjoy. Some spaces are floating in the forest while others sink into the ground. Each space appears and disappears over the tree allowing guests to wonder around freely, inhabiting the forest. This space is an experiment that takes a familiar experience and transforms it into a completely different place through intervention.
