Built near the town of Nasu, Japan, Nasu Tepee is a tipi-shaped house with a dark exterior that blends into the towering trees. Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP, who designed Nasu Tepee, came up with a tent-like shape in an attempt to cut down as a few trees as possible. Competed in 2013, Nasu Tepee measures 186m² (1,991ft²).
Since the site is located in the midst of dense woods, we came up with the idea of having a high ceiling to let the direct sunlight in the house. However, this would result in the space becoming too large and cost a lot to run the air conditioning. Therefore, we eliminated unnecessary space. First, we made sitting and lying spaces along the walls, and cut down the upper space diagonally to make the ceiling lower based on the way people move. This resulted in a tent shaped-house with only one third the volumes.
It is similar to primitive spaces seen in the houses of the Jomon People (Ancient Japanese), native Africans and Mongolians. Because the family sits along the low wall facing each other, the structure of the house initiates a lifestyle where there is close interaction.
In addition, this form matches the tree branches that spread out radially, allowing the house to be built without cutting most of the trees. This enables a warm space to be created that mingles with the trees.
— Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP
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Photographs by Koji Fuji - Nacasa & Partners Inc
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