Shigeru Ban completes Pasona Natureverse Retreat

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban has completed the Pasona Natureverse Retreat, a wellness hotel located at the tip of Awaji Island near Kobe. The facility is designed around the concept of Mibyo, an ideal of preventive wellness treatment that translates as 'pre-illness'. This project marks the third collaboration between Ban and the Japanese company Pasona Group on this specific island, following a previously completed wooden meditation retreat and a thatch-topped restaurant.

Architectural design and site-integration

The hotel features a D-shaped form intended to utilize its unique position between a forest and the coast. According to Ban, the design utilizes distinct facades for the east and west sides to express the characteristics of these two contrasting landscapes. The layout integrates two linear structures with individual qualities into a single plan, which they flank a light-filled central atrium.

The five-storey building contains 57 rooms. While the hotel offers shorter stays, it was primarily designed for retreats lasting thirty days or more. The guest rooms are arranged around the skylit atrium, with half the units overlooking the sea and the other half facing the forest.

Facade contrasts and materials

The visual aesthetic of the building varies significantly based on its orientation. The landward facade uses a rhythmic arrangement of timber-clad columns to emphasize a symbolic, vertical structure. In contrast, the seaward side uses the seawall as a podium for a highly transparent facade. This side features four levels of emphasized horizontal slabs designed to create continuity between the interior and the scenery. At the center of the structure, visitors are greeted by a massive timber canopy and a grand staircase.

Wellness facilities and amenities

Every guest at the retreat receives a personalized wellness program. These treatments may include thalassotherapy, hammam meditation, yoga, sound therapy, and aromatherapy. Each room includes a private onsen, or natural hot spring bath. Additionally, several rooms feature sensor-operated beds that monitor nighttime body movement and adjust automatically to improve sleep quality.

The facility includes a gym, a wellness clinic, a treatment room, and a dedicated space for aerial yoga using suspended fabric hammocks. An indoor swimming pool is supplied by salt water sourced from the Seto Inland Sea. Beyond health, the hotel hosts five restaurants and several cafes, some of which are operated by Michelin-starred chefs. The third floor houses an event hall for live music that contains 500 window panes covered in artwork.