Hokkaido, Japan
The Condominium Hotel in Hokkaido’s Niseko area is a housing complex seamlessly integrated with its natural landscape, positioned to offer stunning views of Mt. Yotei. Situated within a national park, the design adheres to Japan’s Natural Parks Law, which regulates aspects like roof shape, exterior materials, building height, setbacks, and land use. The architecture respects the Niseko area’s context, reflecting the traditional townscape with its small buildings and triangular roofs while balancing economic considerations.
MUWA Niseko Condominium won an 2025 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
Inspired by Japanese homes that feature an engawa (veranda) to softly connect indoors and outdoors, this project reinterprets the veranda as cylindrical, partitioned balconies in each guest room. These balconies offer privacy and openness, while their staggered arrangement optimizes outdoor space for machinery, rainwater drainage, and ventilation, blending form and function.
The building’s gabled roof draws from a classic Japanese architectural form. Its repetitive, varied slopes create a new Niseko landscape that resonates with the surrounding mountains and evokes traditional Japanese aesthetics. The structure maximizes usable floor space within legal setback boundaries. The basement—which cannot accommodate guest rooms—is used for the entrance, reception, restaurant, spa, hot springs, and common areas arranged around a courtyard.
With 34 distinct guest room types designed by offsetting the site shape, the exterior boasts a three-color scheme that connects indoors and outdoors. The penthouse features an interior with a repetitive roof form, opening the guest room to the landscape. Guest rooms blend with the natural environment, and the hotel lobby offers panoramic views of Niseko’s shifting seasons. Interior design highlights include Japanese koushi latticework, tsuchikabe mud-plastered walls, and a rotemburo (open-air bath) overlooking Mt. Yotei.
The structural plan features well-balanced load-bearing walls arranged in layers to provide earthquake resistance, flexibility for the room layouts, and adaptability for design modifications. Perimeter beams were minimized to maximize window openings while floor height limits were maintained. Internal beams were eliminated to create spacious ceilings and flexible room planning.
A key architectural feature is the continuous gable roof, constructed as a concrete folded-roof structure designed to withstand Hokkaido’s harsh climate. Precast concrete (PCa) was chosen for the roof and randomly stacked L-shaped balconies to speed construction and ensure durability against heavy snowfall. Close collaboration between architects and contractors was essential to achieving the building’s form, balancing aesthetic goals with practical construction needs.
This project exemplifies harmony between architecture and nature, blending traditional Japanese design with modern engineering for a comfortable, functional, and beautiful resort hotel nestled within Niseko’s iconic landscape.
Architects: NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD
Design Team: Taro Nakamoto, Wooju Lee, and Yoshiro Hamaguchi
Client: Hanwha Solutions Corporation, Hanwha Japan Corporation
Photographers: Forward Stroke Inc.
