Sou Fujimoto designs a holiday home that blends so fully into the landscape, it’s invisible from above

In a nature reserve on the island of Ishigaki, in the Okinawa prefecture in Japan, Sou Fujimoto has designed a building that is perfectly in line with his long-term research path through the infinite possibilities of hybridisation (perceptive, functional and semantic) between architecture and landscape.

Earth Villa is a holiday home designed for NOT A HOTEL, a Japanese luxury hospitality brand whose portfolio includes works by award-winning international archistars (from Bjarke Ingels to Snøhetta).
The immaculate circular construction stands out sharply in the green coastal landscape without any mimetic or vernacular intent, like a UFO embedded in the earth that seems to slowly (and organically) want to swallow it up.
The volume, partially sunk into the ground, rises and stretches out towards the coast in proximity to the living spaces which, through large curvilinear windows, open on one side towards the infinity pool overlooking the sea and on the opposite side towards a circular internal courtyard: a space of domestic “interregnum” suspended between outside and inside in a continuous play of fluid transitions, within which only the sky and the sea are perceived (dreamily and, perhaps, cathartically) and in which the ordinary spatial coordinates of domestic life seem to be disrupted and reinvented.

A green roof with autochthonous herb and plants integrates the building into its context, blending its environmental impact and offering high performance in terms of sustainability and microclimatic comfort, thanks to its high insulation, ability to reduce rainwater runoff and increase local biodiversity.
The use of sustainable building materials and energy-saving systems, including passive ventilation, solar panels and rainwater harvesting mechanisms help reduce the building's ecological footprint.
Inside, natural materials, earthy-toned finishes and customised furnishings shape the essential yet cosy and peaceful atmospheres of the rooms.