Takei - Nabeshima - Architects ( TNA ) architects have designed a striking mini - tower on spec for a planned community in the town of Karuizawa , some 185 miles northwest of the Japanese capital . The Ring House is wrapped in rings of glass and wood and has an uninterrupted 360 - degree view of the forest . In an area that was dark , on uneven land and with no neightbours this plot of land was originally unmarkable . But TNA Architects were undeterred by the conditions and set about designing the house . TNA designed rings around the facade so that areas of private space and utilities could be met . The height of each ring was decided by the function concealed behind it . The glass between the rings allow you to look straight into the forest , so the whole house appears to dissolve into the forest . Built on Owners ' Hill , a resort in the Karuizawa forest near Tokyo , Ring House occupies one of the hundred or so plots set aside for city dwellers to build weekend retreats .