A Visionary Project by Jean Nouvel: “NOT A HOTEL YAKUSHIMA”

 Yakushima. UNESCO World Heritage island in southern Japan

Project management: Jean Nouvel

Architecture, Interior design, Furniture: Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Interior Architecture: Felix Heger

Rendering: Sabrina Letourneur, Mizuho Kishi

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Celebrated French architect Jean Nouvel unveils NOT A HOTEL YAKUSHIMA, a bold new project set amidst the untamed beauty of Yakushima, Japan—a mystical island where ancient forests and a thriving ecosystem coexist in harmony.

Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, this architectural landmark seeks to transcend traditional boundaries. Often called the “magician of light,” Nouvel seeks to dissolve the boundaries between the natural and the man-made, the physical and the spiritual, the real and the imagined.

The structure, sculpted from rock and glass as if emerging organically from the land itself, will mirror the shadows of rainfall and echo the sounds of water—offering a deeply immersive, almost dreamlike encounter with Yakushima’s elemental nature.

Ateliers Jean Nouvel: The most sophisticated things belong to nature—its landscapes, its paths, its reliefs, the views that will be revealed. Everything else is absence. This project is not about creating for those who wish to live here, but about falling in love—with a tree, a blade of grass, or a stone. Like a collector of modern art, one finds in stones, gardens, or bare ground the ideal way to experience the island. It’s nature, it’s a place, it’s a work of art, it’s rain, it’s the sound of water. At its base lies the stone—a permanent presence, shaped by time, rain, and wind, carrying the patina of years. Around it, rocks and blocks of stone are arranged with the ambition of creating something that feels as if it has always been here. The island is like a treasure, a place where everything can change—something can be added or removed— yet always offering the calm pleasure of contemplation. Here, time is constant, and calmness must be absolute, meditative. The simplest materials, like glass, are chosen to heighten the awareness of rain, to reveal the transparency of water, the sky behind it, and the elementary, natural emotions that arise.

Program:

"Exclusive Villa", residential building with 4 bedrooms, a private spa and an outdoor swimming pool

Usable area 1,000 m². Sales are slated to begin in summer 2026