Alphaville Architects Co., Ltd.

Koyasan Guest House

Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano

KOYASAN GUEST HOUSE

Alphaville Architects

PHOTOGRAPHS
Toshiyuki Yano

YEAR
2012

LOCATION
Koya, Japan

CATEGORY
Hotels

Text description provided by architect.

We designed a new guesthouse for young people from all over the world at Koya-san, the head temple of the Shingon sect founded 1200 years ago, the UNESCO world heritage.

Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano

It is a mixture of Japanese capsule type hotel in which the privacy is well protected, and dormitory in which the communication among the guests is active.

Each single room directly faces a hall so that you can chose proper distance with other guests ensuring the privacy.

Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano

Selecting of thin wooden structure, resulting that the burden load per one pillar is relatively light, visibility of environmental facilities for easier maintenance and the simple composition of the space allow not only owner of this guest house but also guests to maintain, modify and keep on using this architecture for the long time.

We made two different scale spaces, one is a lounge for 20 people and the other is single room of a mattress size, by setting simple wooden continuing structural frame.

The architecture is consist only of 2x4 inch wooden structure set at the interval of 455mm wrapped by the exterior wall with insulation outside.

Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano

We did not make the hierarchy among structure, finish or furniture, same as the old Japanese traditional architecture.

At the center of this architecture, the corridor between two wooden colonnade illuminated naturally with high-side lit connects private dormitory space and public lounge space.

We make use of the subtle light from far above through the wooden structure in tribute to traditional Japanese architecture. Thin small soft pillars give the guests very human scale feeling while gathering of this pillars gives spacious feeling for lounge and bar.

Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano


Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano


Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano
Koyasan Guest House
© Toshiyuki Yano


Koyasan Guest House
Floor Plan
Koyasan Guest House
Site Plan


Koyasan Guest House
West Elevation
Koyasan Guest House
Detail


Koyasan Guest House
Section
Koyasan Guest House
Section
Koyasan Guest House
Section

Alphaville Architects Co., Ltd.
T +81 7 53126951 F +81 7 53120416
Alphaville Architects Co., Ltd.
32 Kamihanada Saiin Ukyo-Ku Kyoto 615-0007, Japan