Niwa Residence

The fruit of a collaboration between the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and the landscape designer Michel Desvigne, the Niwa development (“garden” in Japanese), overseen by Bouygues Immobilier, has opened near Paris. Accoya wood was chosen there for the pergolas and brise-soleil that clothe the facades. The building rises over four levels fragmented into successive setbacks, creating large planted terraces and visual openings onto an inner Japanese garden inspired by tsuboniwa. A clear Teknos saturating oil was applied to preserve the pale tone of the wood, which converses with stone, glass and mineral render. Eco-designed, the scheme relies on sustainable materials: Accoya holds Cradle to Cradle Gold certification, FSC sourcing and a 50-year guarantee above ground, with class 1 biological durability.