Hotel KeyForest
site : Hokuto, Yamanashi
complete year : 2015
usage : communal housing
site area : 2866m2
gross floor area : 956m2
structure : RC
architect : Atsushi Kitagawara Architects
contractor : Sasazawa kensetsu
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The first association between Structured Environment and Atushi Kitagawara started with the Keith Haring Museum extension located in the Yamanashi prefecture and completed in 2007. Completed in 2015, the Key Forest Hotel building is part of the Kobuchizawa art village, resort and spa. It is a three storey building with an accessible terrace roof overviewing the natural landscape. It includes a reception room, a whisky bar, a restaurant and rooms with scenic views.
Its particularity lies in its complex geometry and the sharpness of its opening and its cuts. The granite entrance and concrete exposed facade fits with the natural environment of this building. The entrance towards the east facade combines the raw concrete with the elegance of a slender steel plate canope. A similar approach was used at the rear to partially enclose the terrace.
The RC structure, made in order to comply with the very bespoken geometries, was originally thought as a combination of concrete moment frames on the facades, rigidly connected with concrete slabs at each floor. This structural concept allowed the architect to produce a variety of different geometries for the window openings without disrupting too much the analysis' results and therefore it could adapt quickly to changes until the very end of the concept phase.
