Earthboat Hut

Earthboat Hut is the first model of Earthboat, designed with the assumption that it would be placed in regions with heavy snowfall.
Its design began from highly practical and concrete conditions—responding to snow accumulation unique to snowy regions and creating a space where guests can stay safely and comfortably even in severe cold.

When beginning the development of the first model, the design progressed through discussions about what the ideal form of Earthboat should be.
Because it would be placed in many locations and increase in number over time, it was necessary to design it while imagining not only its use, but also how it would eventually end its life as a trailer after many years.

Rather than remaining as unsightly industrial waste and a negative legacy on the land after fulfilling its role, we wanted it to return to the landscape as part of the passage of time. Just as old traditional houses in rural villages gradually decay, sprout grass, become inhabited by insects, and eventually blend into nature, we hope Earthboat too will integrate into the landscape over the course of 50 or even 100 years.
With this vision in mind, we arrived at the idea of constructing the trailer almost entirely from wood.

The material CLT used in Earthboat Hut was chosen to realize this concept through modern technology.
While inherently strong, it also possesses the thermal mass and insulation properties unique to solid timber, allowing us to minimize the use of chemical products as much as possible. The result is an architectural presence that contrasts with the lightweight orientation of conventional trailer houses—heavy and solid like a log house—capable of providing a comfortable living environment in harsh snowy regions without using any insulation materials.

Through this model, the foundational concept of Earthboat’s spatial design began to take shape.
The center of the stay is placed outdoors rather than indoors, with a sauna accessible directly from outside, enabling guests to enjoy time in nature even in cold regions. The interior is kept minimal as a shelter, while the surrounding landscape and climate are embraced as part of the living experience. This idea of treating the outdoors as the living room originated with Hut and has become a consistent concept throughout the Earthboat series.

The exterior is defined by a simple and modest silhouette, resembling a hut that could be found anywhere.
It stands quietly as a new presence while blending naturally into Japan’s rural landscapes. By creating opportunities for new stays and activities in areas with declining populations, the time spent there and the activities of people themselves become part of a new landscape.
Earthboat Hut is the origin model, designed with this new landscape in mind.

※CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber): A thick wooden panel made by laminating layers of timber with the grain direction crossing at right angles. It offers high rigidity and insulation performance, and is used as a structural material in modern timber architecture, sometimes left exposed as a finish.