THE CONE explores the tension and resonance between architecture and nature—contrast and harmony—through a private villa set on a steep forested slope in Karuizawa, Japan.

Innovation anchors the project’s formal and symbolic strategy. A sharply defined inverted-conical roof, produced by rotating a single sloped section, acts as both spatial device and conceptual diagram: it gathers light, recentres experience and reveals the convergence of environment and dwelling. Inside, the cone becomes a gently curved ceiling that diffuses daylight, tuning atmosphere to time and weather. The roof is therefore not merely structural or formal but experiential—reflector, shelter and quiet emblem of convergence.

Creativity is expressed through a radial plan shaped by the site’s topography. The layout traces a 50-metre arc that mirrors the southern escarpment, organizing rooms along what we call a “CIRCULAR LAYER” of behavior—a continuous ring corridor that gently weaves people back into their surrounding nature. As visitors follow this curve, perception shifts: views rotate, light tilts and the relationship between inside and out evolves. The sequence offers a meditative rhythm of movement, pause and awareness. At its center, a hearth carved from a five-million-year-old local boulder roots the space in time and geography.

Functionality orchestrates spatial, thermal and sensory requirements. An engawa-style terrace cantilevers outward, touching the slope lightly, minimizing excavation while extending connection to forest and sky. Rooms are tuned to specific uses and hours, enabling the architecture to adapt fluidly to human rhythms. Structural clarity comes from a hybrid steel-and-glulam frame that removes vertical supports in key zones, preserving openness and panoramic views. Materials—local stone, timber and metal—were chosen for durability and for the patina they will gain with age.

Eco-social impact is inseparable from the concept. The radial plan follows natural contours, reducing earthworks; the terrace floats above vegetation, limiting erosion. Deep eaves temper high summer sun yet invite low winter light, forming a passive thermal strategy that enhances energy efficiency. Locally sourced, minimally processed materials cut embodied and operational carbon. Beyond metrics, the project nurtures an emotional and ethical bond with place: it listens rather than dominates, making room for people, forest, light, wind and time.

THE CONE is not merely a villa; it is a spatial proposition for coexistence—between geometry and growth, shelter and exposure, human desire and ecological responsibility.