House L by Florian Busch Architects in Niseko, Japan

Project: House L
Architects: Florian Busch Architects
Location: Niseko, Japan
Area: 154 m²
Photography: Hiroyuki Sudo

House L by Florian Busch Architects

House L is a private vacation home located in Niseko, Japan, on a steep slope with views of Mount Yotei. The unique topography of the site presented a challenge, but the design team used this limitation to create a house among trees that is horizontally divided and offset. The project was developed by Florian Busch Architects, whose artistic style may remind one of another project by the same firm — The Forest House in Ranco.

House L in Hirafu is a private vacation home in Niseko, Hokkaido. Following the slope that defined the topography in ancient times, the site presents a steep incline with unlimited views of Mount Yotei. Despite its proximity to The Slope House, the ground conditions here differ so significantly that excavating the mountain would require building massive reinforced retaining walls and, accordingly, lead to a substantial increase in costs. In response to such constraints and to take advantage of the views from the site, we proposed a house among trees.

Where topography changed and shifted vertically, creating an impressive cliff view, House L is horizontally divided and offset — a simple solution that opens up space and views as if the building moves upward along the slope.

As with the structure itself, the interior layout is kept simple: entry occurs under an overhang of the upper volume, a staircase runs along the back wall of the lower level and exits 'turned' to the upper level, making visible the shift in volumes as if you are climbing toward Mount Yotei.

A spacious living and kitchen area opens to a terrace (roof of the lower volume) with an open bathroom. Private bedrooms and bathrooms are located on the lower level, high enough to enjoy a wide view of the valley below the cliff and at the foot of Mount Yotei.

— Florian Busch Architects