Modernist Maverick

Kazuyo Sejima–the Pritzker Prize-winning architect who has liberalised architectural definitions and creates microcosms shaped by strong material sensibility, human connection and lightness

- By Luo Jingmei

“The first time I visited the Hakone site was a day in late summer a few years ago. The leaves were dense but after a few steps, I reached a clearing where I was surrounded by nature and a beautiful sky. It was calm and quiet, and I felt very comfortable,” says Kazuyo Sejima. “I hope guests can experience this nature when they visit SSH No.04.”

The Japanese architect who runs her eponymous firm, Kazuyo Sejima & Associates (KSA), as well as SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates) with business partner Ryue Nishizawa, was describing her observations of the first time she visited the plot for Shishi-Iwa House (SSH) No.04. The 18-room retreat, slated to open in 2027, is located in Hakone National Park on the outskirts of Tokyo. It will also have a restaurant and bar, a natural hot spring onsen, and wellness spaces including a gym.

The project is the next iteration in a string of retreats designed by reputed Japanese architects under the Shishi-Iwa House brand, which fuses contemporary architecture with culinary and nature experiences—a concept that was conceived by founder Huy Hoang.

Architects Shigeru Ban and Ryue Nishisawa designed the first three “Houses”, which are located in Karuizawa. After Sejima's SSH No.04, Junya Ishigami—architect of Osaka Expo 2025's The Grand Ring—will open a wellness and event centre in Karuizawa, which will be SSH No.05, and Bijoy Jain will complete a villa residence, SSH No.06, in 2028.