photos by Hiroshi Ueda | click to enlarge

I’m sorry. I can’t help myself. In addition to snowscape architecture I also have a soft spot for architecture in the wilderness. “Tiered Lodge” is the latest work of Katsushi and Noriko Naoi, the husband-wife duo that make up Naoi Architecture & Design Office. Completed in August 2011, the weekend house is located in the Nasu Highlands of Tochigi prefecture, a common getaway for Tokyoites.

The three-tiered home, hence the name “Tiered Lodge,” is made up of a kitchen and dining room on the lower floor, a living room on the middle level and a mezzanine loft and bedroom on the top. Here is a bit from the architects:

Making use of this sloping gradient, we decided to design a residence that would create a sense of continuity with the forest around it… The space that emerged as a result of this elevation difference and shifts in the surface of the floor showcases subtle variations in the size of each volume, the windows, and the quality of the light in each interior. This structure enabled us to endow what is essentially a single-roomed space with remarkable depth and variation.

source: submission