Ice & Fire Chalet

The name of the project, Ice and Fire Chalet, symbolizes the breathtakingly beautiful local volcano Mt Yotei when it’s covered with snow in winter, and represents the contrast between Niseko's harsh winter environment and the warmth and comfort expected in ski resort's chalets.

The dark, cold exterior metal cladding protects the building from the cold weather, with standing seams dropping from the roof to the sides of the building like icicles. While the light tone of natural cedar and oak wood and the fireplace at the core of the living area bring the cozy warmth to the interior. The design captures the feeling of sipping on a marshmallow covered hot cocoa while sitting on in a comfortable sofa and enjoying the view of the snow-covered volcano.

The shape of the roof and the side walls reproduces the image of two human hands joined at their fingers protecting the interior space; the comfort offered by the high efficiency insulation and triple glazing used for roof and walls are based on a sustainable principle of passive design. In order to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas, we opted for a high efficiency product for the fireplace.

We carefully designed the rental ski property to withstand Niseko's cold weather and its heavy snow.

The entrance is covered to eliminate the risk of snow fall, and the property features an enclosed garage, a gently slopped driveway, covered balconies, snow shedding modern metal sheet roof without eaves and a simple snow clearing path around the house. The reinforced external insulation, triple glazing and high-efficiency fireplace assures a maximum comfort in winter.

We opted for a sustainable, light weight traditional timber structure properly designed for the snow load.

The balconies and rear patio offer outdoor spaces and the layout allows for multiple cross ventilations throughout the building for summer use.

To reduce the carbon footprint, we selected local finishes like oak and cedar wood, as well as neutral tone Sapporo soft stone.