Vista Profile

My name is Naoya Nishi and I am the manager of Atelier Vista Architectural Studio. In 1989 my family of five moved from a city and built our home and office at the base of Mt. Yatsugatake. This extremely cold region with midwinter temperatures of -20 degrees celsius is situated at 1200m above sea level.

At that time I employed every idea I could think of in the house's design, such as quality insulation, superior airtightness, and energy-efficient hydronic floor heating. While assisting with the building of the house, I learned a great deal about them. Since then I have handled 10 houses in the Mt. Yatsugatake region.

I feel that humanity is too immersed in an overly artificial environment. Our ways of existing together with nature are rapidly collapsing. Under these circumstances I wondered if there was anything I could do. As an architect, I have come to believe that taking a fresh look at the environment we live in, the sooner the better, is the starting point of ecology and that this also leads to the health of people and the planet.

The houses I have built incorporate quality insulation framing, double-glazed timber-framed windows, and hydronic floor heating. In addition, after researching OM solar and other solar housing, passive solar design has been used wherever possible. A passive solar house collects solar heat during the day, which is retained during the night. In a region of -20 degrees celsius night temperatures, the heat collecting part of the roof surface reaches 90 degrees celsius in the daytime, which is utilized by the floor heating and hot water supply.

Also we are tackling the problems of sick houses and other housing related matters. Please feel free to consult us about housing related matters such as new constructions and renovations.