Globally known for bold contemporary designs, Snøhetta reveals designs for new luxurious villas, opening in 2029, Not A Hotel Rusutsu in Hokkaido, Japan. Blending hospitality and shared living, it offers an innovative design and an elevating experience that connects with the surrounding Japanese landscape and redefines hospitality architecture. Snøhetta’s design connects luxury with landscape, crafting a model of sustainable living rooted in Hokkaido’s terrain.
The Minimalist Philosophy Behind Not A Hotel Rusutsu
Conceived as neither a resort nor a private residence, Not A Hotel Rusutsu offers a thoughtfully crafted hybrid layout that merges the region’s context with the firm’s ethos of sustainability, minimalism, and modern design sensitivity. It showcases the integration of nature, a contemporary model of luxury, and the purpose of contextual design rooted in the serene landscapes of Hokkaido’s Rusutsu region.
Located at the peak of Rusutsu Resort’s western mountain, spanning 2,574 square meters, it connects to the natural terrain and offers panoramic views of Mount Yotei, Hokkaido’s iconic volcanic cone, as well as access to skiing for both visitors and residents. Inspired by the surrounding valley, the architectural form rises in a clean geometry composed of durable local materials, subtly integrating with the landscape.
Zenith of Experience: Snøhetta’s Fluid Design
Snøhetta’s design philosophy for Not A Hotel Rusutsu centres around Zenith, an elevated experience and the highest point in the sky. This became the guiding principle of design, aiming to elevate human experience and inspire a sense of belonging deeply rooted in nature and human connection.
The minimalist form of the structure blends with the surrounding landscape, as if it were an extension of the environment. The two delicate curves, linear minimal volumes, compose the building’s envelope, which is fully glazed to offer mesmerizing views of Mount Yotei. The dynamic layering of volume enhances the building language, where lower volume is partially embedded into the hillside and upper volume floats, creating a fluid composition that responds to the slope terrain.
The design language adopted the Japanese principle of Shibui, a simple, subtle beauty without ornamentation, translated into the experiential volume, enhancing the sensory experience through material tactility and play of light in the space. The private and public spaces are interconnected, blurring the boundaries of rigid transitions and inviting communal living and interaction.
The spatial layout consists of wellness activities at a lower level, like a private gym, a sauna, a cold bath, and a meditation bath featuring a rock-carved wall finish that evokes a cave-like retreat. The upper level features a 400 sqm open plan layout and social gathering spaces connected with the outside, ensuring that the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and forests become an integral part of the home’s interior.
A New Paradigm of Sustainable Design
The sustainable structure was primarily built with reinforced concrete, strategically oriented to maximise solar gain with the use of locally sourced stone. Hokkaido timber offered a tactile warmth along with a minimalistic aesthetic and added a touch of visual vibrancy. Snøhetta’s renewable material palette was a key decision of the project that resonated with the surrounding mountains and valleys, connecting place and culture, and a high-performance glazed facade dissolved the boundaries, allowing natural light into the luxurious interiors that reduce environmental impact.
Not A Hotel challenges the conventional way of designing hospitality buildings and offers a new model that is shared, multi-use, experience-driven, and adaptable. It offers new concepts of co-ownership and digital nomadism, beyond the architecture that elevates lifestyle, honors its environment, and provokes new ideas about ownership, sustainability, and space.
NOT A HOTEL RUSUTSU Project Details
Architect: Snøhetta
Location: Hokkaidō, Japan
Site Area: 2,574 sq m.
Construction: Iwata Chizaki Construction Co., Ltd.
Owner: NOT A HOTEL RUSUTSU
Image Credit: © Snøhetta
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