House by Double Negatives Architecture adapted to suit a difficult woodland site

A series of steel columns support the faceted concrete roof, while a cluster of shorter poles radiate out from a concrete stack   that supports the staircase   and encloses the upper floor. The result is an angular, irregularly shaped house that forms a ring around a patch of landscape, named House in Nagohara. Related story: Cafeteria with exposed timber framework by Niji ArchitectsThis allowed them to design a building specifically   adapted to its site, taking into consideration the gradient of the landscape, the direction of sunlight, weather conditions and the location of large trees and rocks. The floor is stepped across three open-plan levels, connected by a white-painted steel staircase. Inside, the living space has   cedar floorboards. The concrete and chipboard components of this irregularly shaped holiday home in Japan have been designed   to deal with the difficult   conditions of its woodland site, from restricted lighting to hilly topography (+ slideshow). A panel of concrete with a diagonal fold angles down from the roof to touch the forest floor, creating a protective porch over the doorway. Wedges of glass set into the roof structure bring daylight into an upper storey encased in OSB,   while expanses of frameless glazing offer panoramic views of the surrounding woodland at ground level. «The living space is linked to the site’s shape physically and mentally, achieves the site’s expansiveness and acts as an extension beyond the floors,» said the architects. Beds are tucked into nooks in the concrete structure on both   the upper and lower storeys. The west side of the house is lower than the east to deal with the strong westerly winds the site experiences. The materials are used in their raw form both inside and outside. An angular concrete dormer protrudes from the faceted roof structure.