Chester architect wins competition to help design Japanese resort

One of the sketches that architect Claudio Veliz submitted for a design competition in Japan. On the Cover is another rendering.

Chester architect Claudio Veliz has projects in Ludlow, Chester, New York City and now Hokkaido, Japan. Veliz learned over the weekend that he had won one of two spots on a panel that will design a new eco-ski resort in the snowy northernmost prefecture of Japan.

Claudio Veliz

According to Veliz, an eco-ski resort has no lifts or trails and, due to the enormous amount of powder that falls in the area, has no need for snowmaking equipment. Skiers are transported up the mountain in bus-like snowcats and then find their way down.

Seven architects from three continents put their own spins on the design of a ryokan – a rural Japanese Inn that dates to the age of the samurai in the 1600s – situated by a river and hot springs. Veliz observed four concepts that took into account the flow of water, the curved shape of samurai armor, the natural form of river boulders and the traditional structure of a timber frame.

With bold lines that stood out from the landscape while being a part of it, Veliz’s design was praised by judges for its use of the natural waterscape to continue the theme of connected seclusion where guests cross the river to onsens (hot springs with private guest rooms) along the same river.

Designs will be refined this winter with the plan of breaking ground next spring, ready for guests for the following winter.

–Shawn Cunningham