Morimado House is a residence in Sapporo, Hokkaido, designed around the relationship between everyday life and the forest that borders the site.
The site lies at the edge of a residential neighborhood, directly adjoining a wooded landscape. Rather than treating the forest simply as scenery outside the house, the design began by considering how its changing light, colors, and seasonal transformations could become part of daily life.
In Hokkaido, the landscape changes dramatically throughout the year. Fresh green leaves emerge in spring, the forest becomes dense and vivid in summer, autumn brings layers of color, and in winter the ground and trees are covered in snow. The house was conceived as a place from which these gradual changes could be experienced naturally from within.
The position and size of each opening were carefully considered in relation to the surrounding environment. Instead of opening the entire house uniformly toward the outside, selected views are framed according to the character of each interior space. Large windows bring the forest deeply into the main living areas, while smaller openings create more intimate relationships with light, trees, and the changing sky.
At the center of the house, the living spaces are organized to allow family members to experience the landscape from different positions and at different heights. A small nook creates a more enclosed place to sit close to the window, while changes in ceiling height and spatial connections provide a variety of places within the house. The aim was not to create a single dramatic view, but a sequence of different relationships between people, architecture, and the forest throughout everyday life.
Natural light is equally important to the spatial character of the house. Light entering through carefully positioned openings changes throughout the day and across the seasons, giving depth to the interior and revealing subtle variations in materials and surfaces. The architecture acts as a framework through which these environmental changes can be perceived.
The material palette is intentionally restrained, allowing the landscape, daylight, and everyday objects of the inhabitants to become part of the architecture. Warm interior materials and carefully proportioned spaces create a calm atmosphere while maintaining a strong visual connection to the natural environment outside.
At the same time, the house responds to the demanding climate of Sapporo. High levels of thermal insulation and airtightness form the environmental foundation of the design, ensuring comfort through Hokkaido’s long, cold winters. Rather than considering environmental performance and architectural experience as separate objectives, the project seeks to integrate them into a single approach to living.
Morimado House explores how a home can become more closely connected to its place without relying on architectural gestures alone. By carefully reading the site, framing the surrounding landscape, controlling natural light, and creating different places for everyday activities, the house allows the presence of the forest to become part of ordinary family life.
The architecture is intended not as an object isolated from its surroundings, but as an environment through which the inhabitants can continuously experience the place in which they live.
