The Horizon House project developed by a team of GSD students came to fruition, and part of the team traveled to Taiki-cho, Japan for the opening event in November. The project began in early 2013 as the result of the 3rd LIXIL International University Architectural Competition, held publicly on April 20, 2013 in Tokyo. The students worked on the house during the spring semester as part of an Independent Study, advised by GSD professors Mark Mulligan and Kiel Moe, and the team includes Talentia Fellow Ana Garcia Puyol, currently a candidate to the Master in Design Studies with a concentration in Technology at the Graduate School of Design.

Horizon House presents a dialogue between private living space and the rural setting of Taiki-cho, Hokkaido. Conceived as a orizontally continuous interior landscape – an interstitial space between two artificial constructs, floor and roof – the house provides a 360-degree view of its surroundings. Taiki-cho experiences seasonal patterns in the natural ground plane due to heavy snowfall and changes in vegetation. To avoid partial burial in winter months and maintain distant landscape views, the living space is raised on a wooden base one meter above the ground, and nature is on display from each room.

Five of the team members including Ana spent part of the summer in Tokyo developing the construction documents in collaboration with Kengo Kuma’s architectural office. The whole project has been completed in 10 months, and during the opening weekend the students who were able to travel to Taiki-cho participated in a ceremony and a discussion surrounding the topic for next year’s competition.

Learn more about the project by visiting the GSD Horizon House Facebook page.