SLOWP is a multi-purpose and event space located at the foot of Mount Kannon in Gunma, Japan. As both an architectural design studio, we took a hands-on approach from the ground up: purchasing the land, designing the huts and surrounding landscape, and managing the space. SLOWP serves as a showroom for huts and furniture developed by SNARK, as well as a hub for workshops where visitors can engage, learn, and explore.

Our aim at SLOWP is twofold. First, to highlight the potential of huts as flexible living solutions. In contrast to the typical approach of designing homes large enough for future family growth, we believe in the idea of starting with a home that fits the current family size and adding a hut as needs evolve. As families change, the huts can also be repurposed to become coffee shops or retail spaces once the children leave. We hope to show the value of customizing living spaces to suit the lifestyle of present moments.

Our second aim is to value slow, nature-driven craftsmanship. While our design work often involves fast-paced cycles, completing projects in six-month to one-year periods, at SLOWP we want to explore the possibilities of long-term creation and nuturing. For example, we envision extended workshops where participants can plant fruit trees, watch them grow, and eventually harvest the fruit to make juice. Currently, we host pottery workshops using clay made from the soil from the site itself, fostering both creative expression and local community ties. We would like to value things that can be only nurtured by the flow of time and the workings of nature, which cannot be controlled by design.

Typically, architectural firms work within the constraints of a given site, but with SLOWP, we started from scratch. We handled everything from mowing the land to surveying and planning the sloped, wooded site. The land preparation was done with care, balancing residential regulations, scenic guidelines, and safety concerns like landslide warnings. The spaces between the huts are designed with winding paths and the undulating ground which connect them together, this way visitors can enjoy the entire site and surrounding cityscape as they move through the space.

The four huts at SLOWP showcase the simplicity and flexibility of traditional Japanese wooden-frame construction. Built with a minimal structure that does not require expert craftsmanship, these huts offer customizable sizes, materials, and finishes. They serve as examples of how small, adaptable living spaces can offer diverse lifestyle options with minimal environmental impact. These huts invite a new kind of flexibility in living, where people can adjust their spaces to fit changing needs over time.

Our philosophy is simple: thinking and creating while using and thinking and using while creating. As we continue to add more huts and evolve the space, we hope to discover new horizons for the hut as a tool for daily life.