Sitting beside a mountain road running towards Mt. Fuji from Gotemba, Shizuoka, the Reception annex greets visitors to hotel lodges spreading out on the hillside. 

 

The area, called Takane, is part of a huge forest with a small stream murmuring along and a clear view of Mt. Fuji to the west. The client has planned to organize accommodation facilities in this area, for which a main management annex was required to set up a welcome spot as an entrance to the entire project. 

 

Our design approach explored both architectural and natural aspects of the existing scene. The group of wooden cottages in a simple gable roof, each assigned as a private hotel room, operated as part of the environmental context in our perception. While our design of the admin building resonates a certain aspect of existing architectural order and orientation in the neighborhood, the overall compositional scheme twists and develops in its own rule to extend the configuration further. Cubical interior volumes, while shifted to touch the rounded movement of the roof, are organically connected for smooth experience of the inverted vault on the ceiling. This horizontally-and-vertically-curved configuration of the roof engenders the welcoming gesture of the eaves at the entrance that open up like drapes drawn to the side. 

 

Integrated with the grand nature and tranquil idyllic scenery, 'Reception on the Ridge' stands as a central hub for visitors to start from, stay for awhile, then end the journey with.