YEZO Retreat
Located in the idyllic Hokkaido island, in Japan, YEZO is a small retreat, nestled in a northern mountain range, using its dramatic landscape and an experimental design approach to create a sanctuary in nature. Contacted by an ambitious client, Japanese architecture studio LEAD started work on this unique dwelling, a place where guests can enjoy time for quiet reflection and private enjoyment in a setting defined by wood, stone, water, and light, whilst surrounded by ever-changing natural beauty. The projects´s elegant and fluid space follows a highly minimalist, yet expressive, performance-driven material and construction approach. The wooden roof shell structure is built up from glue-laminated (GluLam) timber beams suspended from a central concrete chimney and clad with regionally sourced black slate. The impressive YEZO Retreat is a winner of the Golden Pin Design Award for the year 2020.