{"id":556140,"date":"2026-04-25T13:45:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T13:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/?p=556140"},"modified":"2026-04-25T13:45:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T13:45:17","slug":"traditional-building-methods-employed-for-erecting-modern-villas-on-isolated-japanese-isle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/?p=556140","title":{"rendered":"Traditional Building Methods Employed for Erecting Modern Villas on Isolated Japanese Isle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    <title>Luxury Villas in Japan Blending Scandinavian and Japanese Styles<\/title><\/p>\n<div id=\"article\">\n<p>Images: Kenta Hasegawa<\/p>\n<p>Nestled on the hills of Sagishima, an isolated island in Japan, three luxury villas harmoniously combine Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics, seamlessly integrating into the surrounding scenery. Each building was crafted from soil obtained directly from the location and shaped into the island\u2019s undulating landscape. This initiative, named NOT A HOTEL Setouchi, was conceived by the Danish architectural firm <a href=\"https:\/\/big.dk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bjarke Ingels Group<\/a> (BIG).<\/p>\n<p>Covering a 30,000-square-meter area on the southwestern tip of Sagishima, the site offers fortunate visitors breathtaking views, an oceanside dining venue, and a secluded beach. Each villa was constructed using an eco-friendly, age-old building method known as rammed earth, which entails forming durable walls from the natural soil capable of withstanding the test of time. The three four-bedroom villas\u2014designated <em>180<\/em>, <em>270<\/em>, and <em>360<\/em> based on their respective perspectives\u2014are nestled into the landscape at different heights, in accordance with the island\u2019s existing pathways and natural elevations.<\/p>\n<p>The circular <em>360<\/em> villa provides an unobstructed vista of Setouchi\u2019s land and sea in all directions, featuring a private courtyard at its heart. The <em>270<\/em> villa showcases an expansive view of the nearby archipelago, complete with a sauna, firepit, and outdoor relaxation spaces centered around a pool. Closest to the shore, <em>180<\/em> derives its curved architecture from the coastline itself, and its inner courtyard includes mossy pathways, gentle inclines, and trees that change with the seasons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNOT A HOTEL Setouchi represents our first completed projects in Japan, a culture that has significantly influenced my perception of architecture; a space where daring Futurism and profound traditional values coexist in striking harmony,\u201d states Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director of BIG. \u201cCollaborating with NOT A HOTEL to realize this vision has been an incredible architectural journey.\u201d He further notes, \u201cThe archipelago surrounding Sagishima resembles a Japanese <a href=\"https:\/\/mymodernmet.com\/landscape-painting\" title=\"Landscape Artists Who Inspire Contemporary Landscape Painting\" class=\"pretty-link-keyword\" rel>landscape painting<\/a>. Steep, rolling hills draped in lush greenery rise from the serenity of the Seto Inland Sea. The four pavilions are envisioned as extensions of the dramatic landform.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elements of traditional Japanese design have influenced various details of the villas, both inside and out. The roofs are covered in low-reflective solar tiles, echoing traditional Japanese architectural styles. Glass walls offer a modern take on shoji screens, while black slate flooring reflects the layout of <a href=\"https:\/\/mymodernmet.com\/kenze-yamada-art-tatami\/\">tatami mats<\/a>. Internally, each villa opens into one expansive, open-concept area. Bathrooms and storage are cleverly integrated into their own pods, each with a skylight, ensuring a constant view of the sky.<\/p>\n<p>Explore the magnificent <em>NOT A HOTEL Setouchi<\/em> project below and discover more on the <a href=\"https:\/\/big.dk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BIG website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Nestled in the hills of Sagishima, a secluded island in Japan, three luxury villas merge Scandinavian and Japanese design.<\/h2>\n<h2>This initiative, known as NOT A HOTEL Setouchi, was envisioned by the Danish architectural firm BIG.<\/h2>\n<h2>Each building was created using soil sourced locally and integrated into the island\u2019s hilly landscape.<\/h2>\n<h2>Internally, each villa opens into one spacious, open-plan area with stunning views from every direction.<\/h2>\n<div>\n<h4><strong>BIG: <a href=\"https:\/\/big.dk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Website<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bjarke.ingels.group\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/big_builds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Luxury Villas in Japan Blending Scandinavian and Japanese Styles Images: Kenta Hasegawa Nestled on the hills of Sagishima, an isolated island in Japan, three luxury villas harmoniously combine Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics, seamlessly integrating into the surrounding scenery. Each building was crafted from soil obtained directly from the location and shaped into the island\u2019s undulating landscape. This initiative, named NOT [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":556141,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-556140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=556140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/556141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=556140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=556140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=556140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}