Hokkaido
This is a project to create a new, five hundred–unit residential district in Niseko, Hokkaido, with the most advanced energy-saving technologies. With a master plan and architectural design, waiwai intended to create a district that could be a model for the future in Niseko and elsewhere in Japan. The simple rectangular volumes ensure the most efficient performance of the exterior skin. Waist-high concrete walls, called gangi, are placed atop these volumes to protect against snow and can be modified in response to different decorative and functional features.