NATURE WITHIN villa embeds architecture into volcanic forest in Kitakaruizawa

NATURE WITHIN is a purpose-built villa that redefines how architecture engages with a forested volcanic landscape. Designed by Hassan Elgendy and Nahed Zmeter of Milan-based UNFORMED DESIGN, the project was awarded the Grand Prize in the NOT A HOTEL Design Competition 2024, selected from more than 620 entries across 23 countries.

Located in Kitakaruizawa in Gunma Prefecture, the site is defined by large lava boulders formed by historic volcanic activity. Rather than imposing a foreign geometry, the project develops from the terrain itself. The architecture follows the undulating ground and positions itself between existing rock formations, allowing the building to emerge as a continuation of the landscape rather than an object placed upon it.

The villa is organized around an irregular oval plan that appears suspended between three primary boulders. A softly curved roof hovers above the structure, unifying a sequence of spaces that shift in relation to light, topography, and surrounding vegetation. The material palette is deliberately restrained, combining timber, natural stone, glass, and raw metal to establish a tactile continuity with the site while framing long views into the forest.

With an approximate total area of 524 square meters, including terraces, and 288 square meters of interior space, the house offers a series of spatial conditions rooted in immersion. The main living, dining, and kitchen areas unfold beneath the floating roof and open broadly toward the surrounding trees, dissolving the perception of enclosure. Private rooms are embedded more deeply within the rocky terrain, forming protected environments that emphasize stillness and proximity to the ground.

A defining element of the project is the open-air onsen, positioned among layered rocks and partially concealed within the landscape. Here, architecture recedes almost entirely, allowing the body to engage directly with natural elements of water, stone, and air.

As part of the broader NOT A HOTEL Kitakaruizawa development, alongside projects such as IRORI, BASE, and MASU, NATURE WITHIN proposes an alternative architectural attitude. Rather than asserting dominance, it operates through alignment, positioning itself as a medium through which the landscape can be inhabited. Scheduled for completion in late 2027 and opening in early 2028, the villa extends the idea of living not beside nature, but within it.

Project Credit

Project name: Nature Within – NOT A HOTEL Kitakaruizawa
Architecture Firm: UNFORMED DESIGN / @unformedesign
Project location: Kitakaruizawa, Japan
Status: Under construction, starting Q1 2026
Completion: Q4 2027
Area: Indoor area 288 m², Total floor area 312.03 m², Exclusive area including terrace 524 m²
Photo: Courtesy of NOT A HOTEL and UNFORMED DESIGN