TORU TERAOKA's Oott Hotels emerges from the forest clearing as a masterful study in architectural dialogue between built form and natural environment, captured during the liminal blue hour when interi

Warm honey-toned timber and cool steel-gray concrete converge within TORU TERAOKA's Oott Hotels interior, where an exposed structural framework of massive wooden trusses creates a soaring vault that t

Warm honey-toned timber reveals a dramatic interior volume where laminated plywood panels and dimensional lumber intersect in a dynamic diagonal lattice overhead, creating a rhythmic composition of in

Verdant canopy overhead establishes the dominant chromatic presence in TORU TERAOKA's Oott Hotels, where saturated chromium oxide greens and viridian hues create a continuous arboreal ceiling that fil

Silver Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design · 2026

Oott Hotels

by Toru Teraoka

A' Design Award 2026 Silver Winner in Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
Awarded April 15, 2026
CLIENT: OOTT | Toru Teraoka
Estimated Number of Design Views: 24,252
Verification code AA31C16378 · Verify this award

Visit Site View at A' Design Award

Get a Badge

About Oott Hotels

Set within the forests of Karuizawa, this hall is conceived as a place where architecture, nature, and community intersect. Developed over nearly a decade through collaboration between client, builder, and architect, it forms part of an evolving landscape with dog friendly facilities. The building serves as a communal lounge and indoor training space. When large openings are opened, the interior aligns with the forest, allowing landscape to flow through. A layered roof brings soft daylight, creating a calm atmosphere. Simple timber construction shows how modest means integrate with nature.

Oott Hotels by TORU TERAOKA represents a significant contribution to contemporary hospitality architecture, demonstrating refined sensitivity to the dialogue between constructed intervention and primordial forest landscape. The work participates in established traditions of regional modernism that honor vernacular building practices while employing contemporary spatial and structural innovations, here manifested through the distinctive treatment of the exterior envelope in traditional charred timber technique that references centuries-old preservation methods while achieving striking visual presence. The compositional strategy establishes the building as a discrete object within the clearing, its emphatic horizontality suggesting deference to the vertical forest surroundings while the dramatic roof pitch introduces dynamic tension that prevents passivity. Technical accomplishment is evident in the precise execution of the clerestory band, where the warm glow of interior illumination through glazing reveals an intricate geometry of triangular timber trusses that transform structural necessity into ornamental celebration. The material palette demonstrates sophisticated restraint, limiting the vocabulary to charred wood, standing-seam metal, and pale interior plywood, yet achieving remarkable richness through the interplay of these elements across varying light conditions. The captured moment during blue hour proves particularly revelatory, as the warm interior luminosity radiates outward in welcome while the forest and sky settle into cool atmospheric tones, creating a visual metaphor for shelter and refuge. The work invites contemplation of how architectural form might honor landscape rather than dominate it, how traditional craft techniques may serve contemporary hospitality programs, and how the threshold between interior comfort and exterior wildness becomes a zone of meaningful transition.

Press Kit

Unique Properties: A hall nestled in the forest of Karuizawa, a renowned summer retreat. For ten years, the client, builder, and architect have continued developing the facility together, overcoming the pandemic and social change to create a contemporary Japanese architecture with enduring universality. Tents for guests with dogs, a dog school, and a grassy run are dispersed across the site, expanded step by step. Conceived for hospitality and sustainable community, the hall extends seamlessly into nature.
Dimensions & Packaging: Floor Area:129m²
Tags: Japan, Karuizawa, Japanese design, timber architecture, wooden structure, hotel, architecture, nature
Production Technology: All square timbers are unified to the standard Japanese size of 120×120 mm, while selected beams use 60×120 mm members hand-split by local carpenters, balancing structural logic with spatial richness. Though based on structural analysis, the joinery conceals its complexity. Developed amid rising material costs during the pandemic, the design balances quality and budget, minimizes concrete, and uses local carpentry with minimal metal fittings to reduce environmental impact.
Design Challenge: For a decade, the same client, builder, and architect worked together, building trust and creating a structure that embodies coexistence with nature. Amid rising material and labor costs during the pandemic, balancing design and budget was crucial. The plan secures needed area and generous volume while controlling cost. Timber was hand-crafted and assembled manually, concrete minimized, and local carpentry with few metal fittings reduced environmental impact.
Project Duration: Completed in 2023, the project has received numerous awards both in Japan and internationally.
Operation Flow: The building serves as a lounge for guests and a dog training space on rainy days. When both sides are opened, the forest extends through the hall, and soft light enters from high windows between the three roofs, creating a transparent space rooted in Japanese sensibility. It connects visitors with local nature. Located among private villas, it also functions as a café and open community hub, fostering ties between travelers and residents.
Research: The design shows deep respect for material essence. Timber and minimal concrete are left exposed, creating refined architectural honesty. Visitors enter a bright space clad in hinoki cypress, continuous with grass and trees, honoring Japanese beauty. External insulation ensures comfort in harsh winters, while the exposed wooden frame expresses both structure and performance. Rooted in its locale, it embodies a Japanese aesthetic connected to the world.
Inspiration: The project shows deep respect for the delicate workings of nature, fostering empathy in its visitors. By placing nature at the center, it seeks harmony between people and environment. Built in timber, the space connects seamlessly with the surrounding landscape and remains committed to sustainability. Developed amid rising material costs during the pandemic, it balances design quality and budget through the use of standard materials and conventional methods, embodying coexistence with nature.
Image Credits: All photo : Photographer / Tatsuya Tabii
Patents: OOTT, Toru Teraoka, 2023