Once, a gallery named Koso (己楚) stood on this site, its name born from the philosophy: “With this nature, Koso; with this land, Koso; with this person, Koso.” At the foot of the Northern Alps, in Azumino, where abundant groundwater flows beneath the land, the building embodied this ethos with a dignified presence. Designed in 1990 by Azumino-based architect Masuo Manba, it was an outstanding architectural work. Following the gallery’s closure, Manba himself continued to inhabit and carefully adapt the structure as his atelier. The recent conversion into a lodging facility sought not only to extend the building’s life, but also to carry forward its deep connection to place, offering guests an opportunity to encounter the singular character of this landscape through architecture.

A defining feature of the original design was the black-stained cedar board fencing that traversed interior and exterior, evoking the flow of Azumino’s wind. In the renovation, these cedar surfaces were extended further into the interior and organically linked to the outdoor terrace. This continuity of material established a dialogue between existing and new, producing a sense of inhabitable comfort appropriate to a lodging environment.

The interior program introduces communal spaces where curved cedar walls embrace new functions: a circular hearth-side lounge for gathering and a dining space for shared meals. On the terrace, overlooking the Northern Alps, a circular bench encircles a fire pit, framing a direct engagement with the surrounding landscape.

Architecturally, one of the most significant gestures of the renovation was the removal of ceiling boards and lighting that had once concealed the ridge beam. This revealed a dramatic column-free volume built in the manner of a traditional dozo (earthen storehouse). The exposed timber structure includes beams of extraordinary dimension—600mm in depth and extending up to 10 meters in length—timbers whose scale is rarely conceivable in contemporary construction, here articulating both structural force and the latent vitality of natural material.

The upper level offers more intimate spatial experiences. A plaster-finished bedroom provides a soft counterpoint to the exposed timber below, while an adjacent cockpit-like study overlooks the atrium, positioning guests to write or read with the roof structure in full view.

 Another bedroom, by contrast, is enclosed with diatomaceous earth walls and delicate shoji screens. In the evening, shoji diffuse light into a gentle glow, and later, lighting crafted from Uchiyama washi—a handmade paper produced in Shinshu since the Edo period—introduces an atmospheric softness. The paper’s fibers are naturally bleached by snow exposure, yielding a luminous whiteness. Complementing this, bespoke karakami prints at the bedhead abstract the elemental phenomena of Azumino’s water, air, and wind, catching light at dawn in a momentary shimmer.。

Throughout the project, details were conceived to foreground local craft and material presence: Shinshu lacquer art finished by hand with brush strokes, noren curtains evoking the Alps ridgeline, roof tiles weathered into moss tones, single larch slabs and reclaimed sleepers from Azumino, and timber furniture distributed across the interior. Materials were intentionally left to weather, to retain cuts and scars, affirming an architectural language of unmediated natural expression.

The design strategy emphasized minimal environmental impact: carefully repairing and extending the use of existing materials, while selecting new ones from circular processes and local resources. In this way, the project embodies SANU’s guiding philosophy: “Live with nature.”

More than three decades since its completion, this work continues to sustain an expressive presence in balance with its environment. The renovation seeks to ensure that this resonance endures for decades to come, demonstrating how architecture rooted in place can adapt, evolve, and remain vital within the passage of time.