Between Forest and Light Hoʻolālā Hoʻonani Loko o ka Hale Noho by Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan

Between Forest and Light Hoʻolālā Hoʻonani Loko o ka Hale Noho by Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Hao in Hoʻolālā Loko Hale a me Hōʻike Competition Category.

HaoLoko Hale· 2026

Between Forest and Light Hoʻolālā Hoʻonani Loko o ka Hale Noho

by Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan

Client: MisoSoupDesign

A' Design Award Hao Winner in Loko Hale Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Between Forest and Light Hoʻolālā Hoʻonani Loko o ka Hale Noho

ʻO Between Forest and Light ka hoʻolālā hoʻonani loko o kahi hale noho pilikino ʻehā papa i hoʻonohonoho ʻia e hoʻohui i nā hana o ka home me ka ʻāina e hoʻopuni ana. Hoʻonohonoho ka papa hana i nā wahi launa a me nā wahi pilikino ma ke kūpaʻa, e ʻae ana i kēlā me kēia papahele e kūlike me nā ʻike kikoʻī a me nā kūlana mālamalama o ke ao. ʻO ka pōhaku, ka lāʻau, a me ke aniani ka mea e wehewehe ai i nā hoʻololi ma waena o nā wahi a hoʻoponopono i ka ʻike ʻia. Mālama ka mālamalama kūloko ʻole a me nā ʻōnaehana hūnā i ka maʻemaʻe o nā ʻili. Hoʻoikaika ka hoʻolālā i ka hoʻonohonoho ʻana o nā wahi, ka hoʻokahua ʻike maka, a me ka hoʻomalu mālamalama e lawe mai i ke kaiapuni ululāʻau i loko o ka noho ʻana o kēlā me kēia lā.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Hao

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Between Forest and Light Hoʻolālā Hoʻonani Loko o ka Hale Noho i ka A' Design Award Hao, he ʻike hoʻohanohano i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā maikaʻi e hoʻokō ana i nā koi ʻoihana a ʻoihana hana i manaʻo ʻia mai nā mea hoʻokumu i hana maikaʻi ʻia. Hōʻike nā lanakila Hao i ka mākau nui, ka loea kiʻekiʻe, ka ʻike akamai a me ka hiki hana noʻeau o ka poʻe i hana iā lākou. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Between Forest and Light Hoʻolālā Hoʻonani Loko o ka Hale Noho he mea hoʻokumu i mahalo nui ʻia, hoʻohiwahiwa ʻia a aloha ʻia e pono a hou. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Hao e hoʻohui ana i nā hana maikaʻi loa o ka ʻoihana a loaʻa nā ʻano ʻenehana mākaukau i hui pū ʻia me ka ʻike hana a me ka makakoho. Mahalo ʻia ka hoʻolālā Between Forest and Light Hoʻolālā Hoʻonani Loko o ka Hale Noho no kona nānā pono a ua hoʻolālā ʻia e hāʻawi i nā hoʻomaikaʻi ola e kōkua ai i ka hana ʻana i ka honua i wahi maikaʻi aku.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Between Forest and Light reinterprets vertical residential living as a layered landscape. Each floor offers a distinct relationship with nature through controlled transparency, framed views, and material variation. Curved stone walls, filtered glazing, and integrated lighting soften spatial transitions, creating a continuous yet diverse living experience that evolves from ground to top floor.
Dimensions & Packaging: Project Type: Private Residence
Location: Xindian District, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Building Height: 4 stories
Scope: Interior Design
Completion Year: 2021
Tags: Residential interior, Vertical living, Natural light, Forest view, Material layering
Production Technology: The project integrates custom stone cladding, wood panel systems, and precision glass partitions to achieve seamless transitions between spaces. Indirect lighting, concealed mechanical systems, and bespoke furniture elements are carefully coordinated to maintain visual clarity. Natural materials were selected for durability, aging quality, and their ability to enhance light reflection and spatial depth.
Design Challenge: The primary challenge was designing a vertical residence that maintains spatial coherence while responding to varied programmatic needs across four levels. Another key challenge was balancing openness to the surrounding forest with privacy, environmental comfort, and structural constraints, while ensuring daylight penetration throughout the deep interior spaces.
Research: This project investigates how vertical residential interiors can mediate the relationship between dense natural environments and contemporary domestic living. Through a four-story private residence, the design explores spatial sequencing, material articulation, and daylight modulation as tools to integrate forest landscapes into everyday life. The research focuses on how framed views, controlled transparency, and layered material systems influence occupants’ perception of space, privacy, and environmental continuity. By organizing programs vertically and calibrating light conditions on each level, the project proposes a residential model that balances openness and enclosure while enhancing long-term spatial comfort and sensory engagement with nature.
Inspiration: The project is inspired by the site’s hillside setting and dense greenery. Rather than treating nature as a backdrop, the design frames forest views as an integral spatial element. Light, shadow, and seasonal changes are incorporated into daily life, allowing residents to experience nature from multiple perspectives across different floors.
Project Duration: Design 2020 - 2021
Construction 2021 - 2022
Completion 2022
Operation Flow: Daily movement unfolds vertically from public to private spaces. The ground floor connects communal living areas to the garden, while upper levels gradually shift toward more intimate functions. Visual connections between floors and outdoor views guide circulation, allowing residents to experience changing light conditions and forest scenery as part of everyday routines.
Team Members: Daisuke Nagatomo
Minnie Jan
Daniel Wang