Three Roofs Timber Hall
Three Roofs Timber Hall
Three Roofs Timber Hall
Three Roofs Timber Hall
Three Roofs Timber Hall
Three Roofs Timber Hall
Three Roofs Timber Hall
Three Roofs Timber Hall
Three Roofs Timber Hall
Japanese wood joinery appears beautifully simple but, like most of the country’s aesthetic sensibilities, it is rooted in complexity. With the “assembling timber” principle, precisely cut wood pieces lock into each other without nails or glue, resisting movement in every direction. Some of these interlocking joints grow stronger under force, which partly explains why centuries-old timber structures have survived earthquakes intact. With the Three Roofs Timber Hall in Nagano, Japan, the structure is the design, and it’s built to last.
The building was 10 years in the making. Japanese architecture firm OOTT worked closely with the contractor and the client — a glamping retreat for dog owners and their pups — across a larger build that included private tents, a dog school and a dog run alongside this main hall, which is used for dining, socializing and pet training. Costs during the pandemic pushed the team toward standard timber sizing and common materials, a constraint that elevated the focus on precise craftsmanship.
Regional carpenters processed and mounted each piece of square-cut timber by hand, splitting some into precise rectangles for variation and using metal fittings as sparingly as possible. The result is a contemporary building resplendent in its geometry, its exposed, symmetrical interior skeleton resembling a convex quadrilateral that balances an asymmetrical set of three roofs. Operable clerestory windows bathe the hall in warm light and cast long shadows across the concrete floor, cooling the space in the summer; radiant floor heating and external insulation carry it through the winter months. And sliding doors open the hinoki cypress walls on both sides of the structure, spoiling visitors with unbroken views of the surrounding Karuizawa forest — a popular summer destination in the region — and welcoming nature to take centre stage in the design.
Team: Toru Teraoka (OOTT); Ippei Ibarada and Shinnosuke Fujita (DN-Archi)
