THE OBLIQUE GARDEN
Set within the dense forested hills of Yakushima, the house is conceived not as an object placed on land, but as a boundary quietly drawn within it. From a distance, the site remains almost unchanged. The forest canopy continues uninterrupted, the slope reads as terrain, and the far horizon opens toward the ocean. Only upon approach does the architecture begin to reveal itself, discreetly and gradually.
Two square figures define the extent of the house through orientation rather than form. Placed with deliberate stiffness against the natural slope, verifies the ground to carve openings at opposing edges. At one side, the terrain slips beneath the square, forming a lower aperture, while at the other, the land rises to release an upper opening. These conditions are not imposed but discovered, allowing inhabitable spaces to emerge directly from the site’s geometry.
The lower opening accommodates the primary living spaces, where daily life unfolds close to the ground, oriented toward southern light and distant ocean views. Above, the upper opening houses leisure and retreat spaces, quieter and more withdrawn. One corner of each square sinks gently into the terrain, softening the rigid geometry and transforming the roof into a basin. Rainwater gathers here, deepening and thinning gradually, recalling a shoreline rather than a pool, and blurring the boundary between constructed and natural water.
From above, the house disappears entirely. Vegetation, water, and ground merge into a continuous surface, marked only by thin lines that quietly trace the boundary of space below. Comfort, maintenance, and lifecycle efficiency are embedded in the form itself, through compact geometry, green roofs, and clear service edges. Rather than asserting presence, the architecture yields to the landscape, offering a private dwelling that prioritizes inhabitation over visibility, and allows Yakushima’s terrain to remain visually and experientially dominant.
Design: Saul Kim & Aleks Forystek
Visualization: River He Ze Hua & Dukant Atelier
