Luxury Shell House design in Japan

Located in Japan, the Shell House is a sculptural large shell shaped structure that built in the woods of Karuizawa, located in Kitasaku, Nagano. The Shell House was designed by Japanese Architect Kotaro Ide, ARTechnic Architects, the concrete home building comprises two tubes with oval sections is meant to function as a vacation home, which is able to withstand the humid summers and cold winters of the region. To accomplish this, Kotaro Ide opted not to use the typical wood structure of two-storey house design in the area because of their susceptibility to decay easily.

Instead, used reinforced concrete to construct two elliptical shell forms which are supposed to represent a conch. Ulin wood is used to create terraces around the Japan house with a courtyard into the centre of the main living areas.

The ‘Shell House’ takes on a j-shape which is raised above the ground by 1400 mm resulting in the ‘floating’ masses. The villa’s simple aesthetic lends itself well to the traditional Japanese landscape, creating a balance between the futuristic man-made structure and the environment which surrounds it. The entire project took more than 18 months to realize and two and a half years to complete.

Description from architect:
A large shell shaped structure finds itself in the middle of the woods. It is hard to determine what exactly the structure is, and unlike the surrounding caves and rocks, it clearly is not a part of nature – nor is it a ruin. A frame, a shape, made at a completely different place for a completely different purpose. Within this shell shaped structure will one find floors constructed, wall separating spaces, and rooms furnished. The scenery conjures a SF film-like image, in which locals inhabit over an abandoned spacecraft. With time, trees start to grow encircling the spacecraft, harmonizing it into the landscape….


Project Name: Shell House
Location: Kitasaku, Nagano, Japan
Architects: Kotaro Ide / ARTechnic architects
Assistants: Moriyuki Fujihara, Ruri Mitsuyasu, Takashi Mototani (former member), Kenyu Fujii
Collaborator: Manami Ide (designer of customized metal work)
Structural Engineer: Naomi Kitayama / NAO
Mechanical engineer: Hiroshi Nakayama / TNA
Electrical Engineer: Jyunetsu Satou / EPS
Contractor: Kenji Kusunoki / GIKAKU
Site Area: 1,711 sqm
Constructed Area: 329 sqm
Construction year: 2008