BIG Carves Hillside Villas From Rammed Earth On Remote Japanese Island
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
The view here does most of the talking, so the architecture had to learn how to listen. On Sagishima Island, where hills roll straight into the Seto Inland Sea, a new resort quite literally shapes itself around the land, not the other way around.
NOT A HOTEL Setouchi has opened on the island’s southwestern edge, introducing three villas that feel less placed and more carved into the terrain. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) for hospitality brand NOT A HOTEL, the project spans a 30,000-square-meter (nearly 323,000-square-foot) site and includes a beachfront restaurant and private beach alongside the residences.
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Built in under two years, the development also follows the company’s fractional ownership model, extending its network of shared vacation homes across Japan.
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
The design draws from a quiet exchange between Scandinavian and Japanese sensibilities, with a focus on working alongside the site’s natural contours. Before construction began, grasses were carefully collected, then later replanted alongside olive and lemon trees and other native species. The result restores the hillside rather than overwriting it. The villas, named ‘180’, ‘270’, and ‘360’ based on their viewing angles, follow the slope like a continuous ribbon, aligning with existing paths and infrastructure.
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
For BIG founder Bjarke Ingels, the setting shaped both the concept and the experience. “NOT A HOTEL Setouchi are our first completed buildings in Japan, a culture that has had a profound impact on myself and my understanding of architecture; a place where fearless Futurism and deep traditional roots coexist in contrasting harmony. It has been an absolute architectural adventure to work with NOT A HOTEL to make this vision come to life.” He describes the surrounding islands as resembling a painted landscape, where steep green hills rise from calm waters, with the villas acting as extensions of that terrain.
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Material choices further tie the project to its surroundings. Soil taken directly from the site forms the load-bearing walls using rammed earth construction, revealing layered textures that echo natural geological patterns. Inside, large glass façades reinterpret shoji screens by opening interiors to the outdoors, while black slate flooring follows layouts inspired by tatami arrangements. The approach blends traditional references with contemporary construction methods without leaning too heavily in either direction.
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Each villa responds to its specific location. The circular ‘360’ sits at the highest point, offering uninterrupted views in all directions and enclosing a private courtyard at its center. ‘270’ stretches across the slope with wide panoramic views, incorporating a sauna, outdoor lounging areas, and a pool arranged like small islands around a firepit. Closest to the water, ‘180’ curves along the coastline, with an inner courtyard shaped by gentle slopes, moss-lined paths, and seasonal plantings.
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
The interiors are designed as continuous open spaces, with essential functions like bathrooms and storage tucked into separate pods. Skylights above these pods ensure that even the most enclosed areas maintain a visual connection to the sky. According to BIG partner Leon Rost, the design emerged directly from walking the site. “When we first visited Sagishima, we found ourselves tracing the terraced contours of the site, always drawn toward the horizon. That walk wrote the architecture—each step along the hillside became the curving forms of the villas, their long facades opening to capture the panoramic sea.”
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Sustainability is integrated into the structure rather than added on. Roofs are covered in low-reflective solar tiles, while operable facades and overhangs support passive cooling during warmer months. Rainwater is collected and reused for landscaping, reinforcing the project’s connection to the local environment.
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
“What began as BIG’s ambition to create something that could serve as a gift to the majestic landscape of Setouchi was realized with NOT A HOTEL’s mission to elevate the value of Japan as well as the enduring craftsmanship that still exists across the country,” said Ryohei Koike, Associate at BIG, noting the collaboration between designers, builders, and the local community.
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Here, architecture doesn’t compete with the view. It settles into it, framing the landscape while becoming part of it. A resort that doesn’t just sit on the hillside, but takes its cues from it.
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
Image courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG, featured with permission
[via BIG, images courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa / BIG and featured with permission]
