The “ethereal beauty” of classical Japanese Noh theater is conveyed Kengo Kuma & Associates‘ Design for banyan tree hotel In KyotoIn whose terraced gardens a dedicated stage is hidden.
banyan tree higashiyama kyoto Located at the foothills of the Higashiyama Mountains, east of the city, is a historic district filled with temples and shrines, ancient cemeteries and cemeteries.
of the field Symbolic role as a bridge to the afterlife Kengo Kuma & Associates led (KKA) finding the main inspiration for its design in the 14th-century art of Noh, sometimes called “ghost theatre” because it featured spirits as the main characters.
“The hotel was inspired by the ethereal beauty of Noh,” Kuma told Dezeen. “Noh is a traditional art form with its roots in Kyoto, Japan, and is a wonderful expression of man’s inner conflicts and complex emotions.”
These references can be seen not only in the hotel’s dedicated Noh stage – a wooden skeleton made of yellow cedar and Kyoto cypress – but also in the hotel’s architecture and the interiors of its 52 guest rooms designed by the late designer. Could. Yukio Hashimoto,
The hotel’s design was guided by Japanese aesthetic principles YugenDescribes a mysterious, serene beauty that is one of the central tenets of Noh, as set out by the playwright zimi motokio,
“The entire hotel was designed to provide a space for reflection,” Kuma said. “And the Noh stage, set against the surrounding greenery, is arguably the most symbolic space within the hotel that reflects the concept of Yugen.”
Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto is installed on a sloping site, with a height difference of 12 meters between its lowest and highest point.
To make the most of the limited space, KKA created a pair of mid-rise reinforced concrete volumes that provide panoramic views over Kyoto and frame terraced gardens that can be accessed from different floors of the hotel.
The Banyan Tree’s main four-story building houses the bedrooms and all common areas – including a triple-height lobby, Ryozen restaurant, a cavernous bar and gender-separated onsen baths – while the perpendicular three-story annex accommodates additional guests. .
KKA installed three levels of roofs with slatted timber overhangs to break up these two monolithic volumes and provide a modern take on traditional Japanese architecture.
“The limited site means that the construction of the hotel will be significant in volume,” Kuma said. “To match the scale of the surrounding area, we decided to use eaves to divide the building into smaller sections.”
“Continuous rafters were then installed to create deep, tall cornices and soft shadows that reflect the traditional Japanese dimension system and harmonize with the surroundings.”
The entrance of the hotel is covered by a miniature gable roof, built without columns. Instead, the cantilever structure is supported by wide stacks of criss-crossing beams.
“By employing state-of-the-art resin-based construction methods to safely connect wooden beams, we achieved a sense of levitation that would not be possible with traditional wood construction,” Kuma said.
“This innovative blend of modern technology and traditional craftsmanship allows us to present a remarkable architectural achievement – a massive wooden structure seemingly floating in the air to welcome visitors.”
To make the building blend into the Higashiyama landscape, KKA used rustic pieces of granite as well as old stones from the existing masonry wall on the site to cover the base of the main building.
The studio also preserved and restored the existing landscape on the site, including moss, stones, trees and a small bamboo grove that hides the hot spring for the hotel’s onsen baths.
A serpentine rock pond is located on the same level as the ground floor lobby and annexe, while the bamboo garden and Noh stage can be accessed from the second floor via the terrace of Restaurant Ryozen, which serves multi-courses. kaiseki Meal.
The stage itself is set on stilts above a shallow reflecting pool and presents an even more concise interpretation of the generally minimalist Noh stage, with no solid walls or ceiling that hides the wooden skeleton.
Instead of the traditional kagami-ita background of painted pine trees, scenes of actual trees now appear on the stage.
“There was no permission to build a roofed building on the site where the Noh stage now stands,” Kuma said. “However, this restriction inspired a unique approach to the design of the platform.”
“To honor this art form, we designed the Noh stage with an open wooden structure that reaches toward the sky, seamlessly integrating with the surrounding natural landscape, while maintaining the characteristics of a traditional Noh stage. The aim is to maintain this as much as possible.”
The interior also aims to translate traditional Japanese design details through simplistic, modern material selections, drawing heavily on wood and stone.
To maintain visual interest despite this minimalist palette, wood was treated in different ways throughout the lobby – either burnished to create decorative columns or a checkerboard pattern of alternating grains on the floor. Was placed in.
Using the traditional Japanese carving technique known as naguri, a whimsical texture reminiscent of hammered metal was translated into wood to create the base of the reception desk.
The same pattern, covered with locally sourced gold leaf, is also seen on the headboards in the guest suites.
Rooms are rich with traditional details such as tatami floors and cypress-wood bathtubs – although many were adapted to suit modern tastes.
For example, the movable shoji screen that surrounds the tub has its wooden mesh hidden behind layers of washi paper, while the Horigotsu seating area was raised to meet Western seating preferences and create a small workspace.
“We blend classic Japanese elements with contemporary execution in subtle ways throughout our designs,” said the Hashimoto Yukio Design Studio team.
“An example would be the tea table, where we added a natural solid piece of tocchi with hexagon-shaped legs for the tabletop – a subtle and sophisticated detail to match the style of the room.”
KKA has previously been responsible for designing many popular hotels across the country Ace Hotel Kyoto And in the edition hotel Tokyo’s Toranomon and Ginza districts.
