Extend to Forest
This villa reuses an existing reinforced concrete frame structure, placing a light and delicate architectural volume on top. The intention was to extend the space outward toward the forest by layering thin and lightweight fragments above a heavy foundation. The architecture is defined as a cloud-like presence that mediates between the forest and the reused structural frame.
To extend into the forest, all architectural elements must maintain a sense of thinness. A thin balcony extends into the woods, requiring the floor to be exceptionally slim. By using ultra-high-strength fiber reinforced concrete at a thickness of 45 millimeters for the balcony substrate, a total floor thickness of just 87 millimeters was achieved.
The roof edge was similarly tapered to a thickness of 20 millimeters, realizing a thin profile that visually stretches into the forest.
While villas have traditionally pursued autonomy, as exemplified by Palladio’s Rotonda and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, this project rejects such autonomy in favor of integration with the forest. Architecture serves as a mediator between the forest and the human body, emphasizing coexistence rather than separation.
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