Sou Fujimoto Completes EARTH Villa on Ishigaki Island

Sou Fujimoto has completed EARTH, a circular, green-roofed villa on Okinawa’s remote Ishigaki Island, designed for hospitality brand NOT A HOTEL.

Now open and already fully booked before construction was completed, the 1,500-square-metre retreat is the largest project to date in the brand’s growing portfolio.

GALLERY

Conceived as an extension of the land itself, EARTH nestles into a 10,000-square-metre coastal site. Its curved white form appears to sink into the terrain, disappearing beneath a living roof that blends seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. The villa continues Fujimoto’s interest in dissolving boundaries, creating a sense of continuity between architecture and nature, land and sea, sky and horizon.

At the centre of the plan is a courtyard garden designed by landscape architect Taichi Saito. Featuring a tranquil water basin, children’s pool and firepit, it draws guests into a protected inner world, while still maintaining strong visual and spatial connections to the ocean. The main living and dining space opens directly onto an infinity pool that merges with the sea beyond, designed as the villa’s front-row seat for sunsets and starlit dinners.

Accommodation includes four bedrooms with full-height glazing, sleeping up to ten guests. One bedroom extends directly to the water, where a shallow basin creates the impression of floating above the horizon. Below, the first floor houses a sauna lit by refracted light from the pool above, producing a cavern-like atmosphere that evokes the sensation of being underwater. An outdoor bath, gym and low-profile bathroom continue the design’s motif of vanishing edges.

Originally announced in 2022, EARTH was fully sold out via fractional ownership before completion, underscoring demand for high-concept retreats in remote settings. While the villa itself offers seclusion, guests are encouraged to explore Ishigaki’s cultural and culinary heritage through experiences such as sabani sailing, Awamori brewing at Ikehara Brewery, and private Okinawan dining accompanied by live sanshin music.

Located just 11 minutes from New Ishigaki Airport, EARTH demonstrates how contemporary architecture can embed itself within its environment while offering immersive connections to place.

Images courtesy of NOT A HOTEL via Designboom