Sky Jade
Designed by Joyce Yang Architects for the renowned Not A Hotel Competition, The Horizon is conceived as a rainforest residence shaped by its natural context.
Organized around native granite boulders, the project integrates rainwater, wind, and passive design through a three-ring spatial logic, aligning architecture with climate and landscape to create a cohesive living environment.
We were commissioned to develop both the interior and exterior imagery for the project, establishing a cohesive visual narrative across all spaces. Building on these assets, we translated the still imagery into a cinematic film, bringing the project to life with clarity and intent.
Sky Jade
Residential
Taichung, Taiwan, 2025
Client
Joyce Yang Architects
Architecture
Joyce Yang Architects
Images
Panoptikon
Deliverables
CGI Stills, Film
Yakushima is defined by its ancient rainforests, steep topography, and intense rainfall: an environment shaped by granite uplift and continuous natural forces.
The project responds by opening itself to both forest and horizon. Conceived as a composition of interlocking solids and voids, the architecture frames light, wind, and rain as integral elements of daily life. Its form follows the natural contours of the site, minimizing intervention and allowing the building to settle with precision into the landscape.
Elevated above ground, the structure accommodates the island’s heavy rainfall,allowing water to pass beneath while reducing prolonged exposure to moisture and mist.
Framing the Landscape
The interiors of The Horizon are conceived as immersive environments, where architecture frames the presence of landscape rather than competing with it.
Curved geometries and continuous glazing establish a panoramic relationship with the forest, dissolving enclosure and allowing the exterior to define the spatial experience. Natural materials: stone, timber, and mineral finishes anchor the interiors, creating a tactile continuity with the surrounding terrain.
Spaces are organized with clarity and restraint. Living areas open outward in a fluid sequence, while moments of retreat, such as the bathing spaces, offer a more introspective atmosphere, where water, steam, and filtered light become central to the experience.
Light is treated as a primary material. Diffused through mist, reflected on surfaces, or framed through precise openings, it reinforces a constant dialogue between interior and climate.
The result is an architecture of atmosphere: calm, grounded, and deeply connected to its environment.
