Perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Coeda House — the house of small branches — lives up to its name. The structure, designed by the celebrated Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, appears to be like a tree surrounded by windows that capture the panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. Located in the Akao Herb and Rose Garden in Atami, the huge tree-like structure is created by randomly stacking 8cm square cedar boards. These are reinforced with a carbon fiber rod, seven times stronger than iron in tensile strength, to create a single trunk with large branches while still diminishing movement during earthquakes. Its tree-like form allowed the architect to eliminate columns at the perimeter, which would have otherwise obscured the stunning landscape views.Kengo Kuma (b. 1954) is a Japanese architect who is often compared to Shigeru Ban and Kazuyo Sejima. Currently, a professor at the University of Tokyo, Kuma has also taught at Columbia University and the University of Illinois. Some of his notable projects include Bamboo Wall house in China, Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Group’s Japan headquarters, and Mandarin Oriental Dellis Cay in the Caribbean.For more details, visit: http://kkaa.co.jp/Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the project. Read more