[SAAD - sudo associates, architecture and design - Fenix Furano - COVER IMG] Fenix Furano’s forest analogy is stark. Slim, vertical timber columns weave around the hotel’s first storey spontaneously while on the upper storeys, they bunch together like thick tree trunks. / Ikuya Sasaki

Fenix Furano

PrizeHonorable Mention in Architectural Design / Hospitality Architecture
Firm LocationTokyo, Japan
Project locationFurano, Hokkaido, Japan
CompanySAAD - sudo associates, architecture and design
Lead ArchitectTomoyuki Sudo
Design TeamMomoyo Yamawaki, Mimi Okuhara, Shintaro Ueno
ClientZekkei Investment Management Ltd.

Fenix Furano is the area’s first luxury, international hotel. Here, luxury is expressed through clarity and richness of idea. Its forest analogy is stark. Slim, vertical timber columns weave around the first storey while on the upper storeys they bunched together like thick tree trunks. At night, these trunks appear to merge with the ceiling shadows that suggest spreading branches. These wood elements juxtapose with its rectangular, fair-faced concrete shell, expounding on dualities between warm and industrial. The design concept aims to let guests experience the environment and nature.