When it comes to architecture, context matters. As luxury projects pop up in our cities with increasing frequency, we’re starting to see more projects that are out of context. This could be a condo tower that looks like it belongs on another continent, a restaurant in a cold weather city that looks like it should be in the tropics, or even glass buildings in an arid city.

From a design perspective, these are just aberrations of unlearnt practitioners. But from the real estate perspective, where the primary focus is profitability, these deviations from the norm are refreshing and ultra-appealing to the worldly client. In the hospitality sector especially, that mix of what the international traveler expects and what the local culture represents can lead to some truly distinguished designs, like at WE Hotel T?ya in Hokkaid?, Japan.
Opened in 2018, this boutique hotel is both a modest reflection of Japanese architecture and a global space of luxury. In contrast to its facade, which looks like it could comfortably fit in anywhere in the world, other parts of the hotel reveal the traditional intricacies worked into its design. This can be seen as soon as the entrance, which itself is lined with cedar logs on the walls.

The ceiling is a multi-layered surface of logs, all of which start at their highest points outside but slowly come down as they approach the corner where guests turn right to enter the hotel. At night, light from below these logs creates a go...