{"id":12942,"date":"2026-04-27T21:34:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T21:34:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/12942\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T21:34:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T21:34:46","slug":"zaha-hadid-architects-designs-okinawa-beach-retreat-for-not-a-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/12942\/","title":{"rendered":"Zaha Hadid Architects designs Okinawa beach retreat for Not A Hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"

UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects<\/a> has designed a snaking hotel<\/a> for\u00a0hospitality brand Not A Hotel<\/a>, which\u00a0will perch above a coastal site in Okinawa<\/a>, Japan.<\/p>\n

Set to be nestled between a forest and beach, the Vertex Hotel for Not A Hotel<\/a> will include villas, suites and an outdoor pool within its 25,300-square-metre volume.<\/p>\n

According to Zaha Hadid Architects<\/a>, the hotel will be designed to “preserve the island’s unique coastal and marine ecosystems”, in line with guidelines laid out by local environmental authorities.<\/p>\n

\"RenderZaha Hadid Architects has designed a snaking hotel for Not A Hotel<\/p>\n

Zaha Hadid Architects’ design for the hotel borrows its curving form from the contours of the surrounding limestone geology.<\/p>\n

“A continuation of the existing rock formations within the site, the design follows the contours of the shoreline, articulated as a series of stepped horizontal terraces, courtyards and gardens that echo the site’s varied topography,” the studio said.<\/p>\n

“The composition, orientation and materiality of the hotel have been informed by detailed investigations of its oceanfront site.”<\/p>\n

\"RenderIts form mimics the contours of its site in\u00a0Okinawa<\/p>\n

Renders of the proposal reveal the hotel’s soft-edged floor plates, which will extend outwards from a largely glazed facade and be wrapped at ground level by a slim outdoor pool.<\/p>\n

It will be perched above the beach and have a modular structure composed of prefabricated components, intended to minimise disturbance to the local environment during the construction process.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Earth<\/p>\n

Sou Fujimoto tops coastal holiday home in Japan with sloping green roof\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The material palette will include locally-sourced pine and limestone, chosen to embed the hotel into the surrounding landscape, while prefabricated concrete elements will have a tone and texture hoped to evoke the white sands of nearby beaches.<\/p>\n

“The hotel extends the rich tradition within Okinawa’s historical architecture of showcasing the exacting craftsmanship of master builders and artisans working with the region’s finest materials,” Zaha Hadid Architects said.<\/p>\n

\"RenderAn outdoor pool will wrap around the ground floor<\/p>\n

Curved canopies overlooking the ocean are set to wind around the facade to form shaded outdoor spaces that nod to deep eaves found in the island’s vernacular architecture.<\/p>\n

According to the studio, they will have bespoke forms determined by an analysis of the site’s daily solar irradiation.<\/p>\n

“The stepped canopies of the hotel gently transition from the unique geology of the shoreline to the dense vegetation of the rainforest, giving uninterrupted views of the ocean and a deep connection to the surrounding environment,” said project director Ludovico Lombardi.<\/p>\n

\"ExteriorCanopies will form shaded outdoor spaces for guests<\/p>\n

According to the studio, natural ventilation will be prioritised throughout the hotel’s communal areas and villas. Additionally, all facilities will be elevated at least 6.5 metres above the high-water line to mitigate the risks of harsh coastal weather.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Zaha Hadid Architects recently unveiled its design for an Italian hospital arranged around multi-level gardens<\/a> and a waterfront stadium and sports centre in Guangzhou<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The renders are by Negativ<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects has designed a snaking hotel for\u00a0hospitality brand Not A Hotel, which\u00a0will perch above…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[3392,8,10776,162,3516,3517,10777,10778,10775],"class_list":{"0":"post-12942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-okinawa","8":"tag-hotels","9":"tag-japan","10":"tag-not-a-hotel","11":"tag-okinawa","12":"tag-sectionall","13":"tag-sectionarchitecture","14":"tag-sectionhighlights","15":"tag-sectionnews","16":"tag-zaha-hadid-architects"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}