Sunken courtyard with curved concrete walls at Earth holiday home by Sou Fujimoto on Ishigaki Island, Japan

Sou Fujimoto’s Garden-Roofed Holiday Home on Ishigaki Island

Sou Fujimoto’s Garden-Roofed Holiday Home on Ishigaki Island

Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto has nestled a curved holiday home under a planted garden on Ishigaki Island, Japan, for hotelier Not A Hotel.

Named Earth, the concrete holiday home and its garden form a circular shape, designed by Fujimoto to blend into the landscape.

Aerial view of Sou Fujimoto’s Earth holiday home in Japan with circular architecture and rooftop garden

On one side, a curving white wall encloses the garden, which slopes up and over the crescent-shaped home facing towards the sea.

Curved concrete wall and planted garden roof of the Earth holiday villa by Sou Fujimoto in Ishigaki, Japan

"The building is circular, and the roof is bowl-shaped, creating a gentle hilly design that allows guests to feel Ishigaki's lush greenery and crystal blue ocean from inside the rooms," said Fujimoto.

"The roof is covered with greenery, and when viewed from above, the house disappears into the surroundings."

An oval-shaped terrace cuts into the sloping garden and leads to a living and dining room on the home's upper level.

Sliding glass doors in the living area open onto an infinity pool that hugs the outer curve of the villa.

Infinity pool curving around the living room terrace of Earth holiday home by Sou Fujimoto in Japan

Elsewhere on the upper level are three bedrooms, a playroom, and a bathroom with a low-lying bathtub that overlooks a shallow outdoor pool.

The lower level of the home contains a gym, cold bath, and sauna room with a skylight set underneath the shallow pool, creating dappled patterns of light.

Exterior view of Earth Holiday Home by Sou Fujimoto in Japan, showcasing circular architecture
Curved glass entrance of Sou Fujimoto's Earth Holiday Home blending with Japan’s natural landscape
Architectural interior of Earth Holiday Home by Sou Fujimoto featuring futuristic organic design

"The light that shines into the water basin on the second floor pours in through the skylights of the sauna room, creating a unique space that makes guests feel as if they're at the bottom of the ocean," said Fujimoto.

Among the rooftop planting, designed by landscape gardener Taichi Saito, Fujimoto added a circular fire pit and water feature designed for children.

Architect: Sou Fujimoto