Akao Herb & Rose Garden is situated near Atami, a seaside town that is a popular tourist destination close to Tokyo and Yokohama. Famous for its exuberant rose gardens, the site of Akao Garden borders on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. To make the most of this privileged location, the new café designed by the office of Kengo Kuma is organized around a central support, which leaves the perimeter clear of columns that would otherwise obscure the landscape, and creates a panoramic interior space. By randomly stacking 8 x 8 cm cedar boards, the design generates a huge tree-like structure that lends its name to the project: ‘Coeda House’ or ‘the house of small branches.’

The different parts are connected at specific points by rods concealed in their interior. Besides, the framework’s core is reinforced with rods manufactured in carbon fiber, a material with a tensile strength seven times that of iron, thanks to which it becomes possible to have a single trunk with large branches while still diminishing movement during earthquakes. In spite of its large span, the roof manages to convey an image of lightness.