Moriyoshi Naotake Atelier Architects, LLC

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto

Moriyoshi Naotake Atelier

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

ARCHITECTS
Moriyoshi Naotake Atelier

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Naotake Moriyoshi

LEAD TEAM
Naotake Moriyoshi

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
wasab!

ARCHITECTURE OFFICES
Takane Masutani Architecture Laboratory, Atelier Yamasaki

PHOTOGRAPHS
Satoshi Shigeta

AREA
198 m²

YEAR
2024

LOCATION
Kyoto, Japan

CATEGORY
Hotels, Renovation

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

English description provided by the architects.

This is a hotel renovated from a Sukiya-style building in Kyoto.

The existing building was built in 1920, and the carpenter was a man who built many teahouses around the Gion area in Kyoto, and the owner was recorded as a tea master.

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

Records of tea ceremonies from that time, there was a description of this building as a place to hold tea ceremonies.

The site is long from north to south, the building is arranged on the west side of the site, and the garden is on the east side.

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

Each room has a large opening from which the garden can be viewed.

The uneven floor plan, unique to sukiya-style architecture, makes the building a spatial composition that is integrated with the garden.

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

This architecture should be preserved as much as possible, but it is necessary to install equipment for a hotel.

Generally, ceilings would be replaced to accommodate lighting, air conditioning, and firefighting equipment.

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

But in the case of sukiya-style architecture, the ceiling design is unique, and replacing it would likely diminish its value.

Therefore, the ceiling was not modified for lighting, and existing lighting was replaced, and new downlights were installed to a minimum, and the illuminance was ensured by installing indirect lighting in the floor furniture and openings using a method described below.

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

Air conditioning was also not installed in the ceiling, but floor-mounted and wall-mounted air conditioners, and a ventilation fan was also installed as a built-in piece of furniture to blend in with the space.

Not only preserving, but efforts were also to make the existing design look better.

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

Blinds were required for the windows, so indirect lighting was installed on the ceiling side where the blind boxes were installed, lighting up the existing ceiling.

As most of the floor was covered with tatami mats, the electrical wiring that usually runs through the ceiling was moved to under the floor, and switches and floor heating controls were installed in necessary places as furniture-like pillars, preserving the earthen walls.

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

In addition, new furniture was installed, but these were made of oak, which is different in material and color from the existing ones, so that it was possible to notice that new furniture had been added, and the relationship between the old and the new was visualized, and the aim was to give guests an impression of cleanliness.

The bathroom and washroom were designed with the same idea, with oak furniture, Japanese cypress walls and ceilings, and reinforced glass openings.

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

From the main bathtub, a glass window allows a view of the small courtyard garden to the west.

Structurally, calculations determined that as much of the earthen walls of the main rooms as possible were retained, while damper metal fittings and earthquake-resistant earthen wall panels were added to softly reinforce the structure.

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta

In this way, the design was carried out with respect for the existing building from start to finish, and the color scheme and texture of the finer details were carefully confirmed and decided during construction.

By preserving the existing elements as it was, or making modest additions that blend in with them, the existing spatial composition and design remain unchanged, resulting in a new comfortable accommodation.

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta


Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta


Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
© Satoshi Shigeta


Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
1F Floor Plan
Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto
2F Floor Plan

Moriyoshi Naotake Atelier Architects, LLC
T +81 3 3567-6511
Moriyoshi Naotake Atelier Architects, LLC
Toa Bldg. 6FL-A, 1-3-3, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan