This work is the result of the collaboration between Ryue Nishizawa and Nendo studio. The wood pavilion nicknamed ‘roof and mushrooms’ is located on a hillside of the University of Art and Design in Kyoto, inviting students to seize this inspiring natural environment. The roof is a curved surface adapted to the contours of the site, which climbs up the slope held by light wood pillars, of varying height, making room amidst the vegetation of the place. The itinerary through the pavilion covers, partly, several stretches of an existing stone stair that helps to climb the hill, but at the top it sets itself apart and shifts towards the natural terrain.

The shaded interior space evokes the experience of ascending through the woods. To strengthen this metaphor, over the floor area a series of metallic stools seem to emerge naturally from the base of the pillars, from the handrails or from the most somber corners, like mushrooms springing from the ground. The undulations of the roof compress the ascending space without interruptions, creating a greater variety of light and space experiences and defining places in which to simply stay and observe the surroundings.