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Hakuba, Japan

The Valley We Build In

Four projects since 2021 — a renovation, two new builds, and one still on the drawing board. Each one taught us what the next should be.

How We Build

Our Projects

Riverside Cottage under fresh snow
2021 · Renovation

Riverside Cottage

Vision — Lycia's very first hospitality project — a modest riverside home we saw the potential to transform into a warm, welcoming retreat while learning every part of the hospitality business.

Challenge — The property's original layout limited comfort and guest experience. Rather than rebuild, we chose careful, respectful improvements that unlocked its potential without losing its character.

Today — Renovated in two phases — first in 2021, then more comprehensively in 2024 — Riverside Cottage remains part of the portfolio and gave us the foundation for everything that followed.

Riverside Cottage · winter
Snow among the pines on the Panorama Homes site
2022 · New Build

Panorama Homes

Vision — Building on the success of Riverside Cottage, we saw an opportunity on the neighboring land: two new-build chalets sharing the same riverside setting and panoramic Northern Alps views.

Challenge — Delivering a high-quality, ground-up development within a carefully planned budget, while making the most of the site's natural advantages.

Today — Completed in November 2022, Panorama Homes A & B are Superhost-rated and live on Airbnb — Lycia's first proof that we could deliver new construction on time and to a high standard.

On site · winter
Lycia Retreat — living room with a window onto the snow
2024 · Renovation

Lycia Retreat

Vision — A property with both immediate potential and room for future growth — combining personal lifestyle, hospitality, and long-term investment in a single project.

Challenge — The house had sat unused for years, filled with the belongings and traditional craftsmanship of the family who once lived there. Deciding what to preserve and what to reimagine became the heart of the project.

Today — Acquired in March 2024 and renovated through the year, Lycia Retreat opened for the 2025 winter season — with adjoining land held for a future hospitality project.

Interior
Nakatsuna Lake House — the main room opening onto the lake
2026 · New Build

Nakatsuna Lake House

Vision — One of the Hakuba Valley's hidden treasures — we hoped for years to build something at Nakatsuna Lake that would let guests experience its calm while staying close to everything Hakuba offers.

Challenge — Lakeside land here is extremely limited. Every design decision had to respect and enhance the surrounding landscape rather than compete with it.

Today — Designed with the owners' architect in Turkey and built by Tres Homes, this 133㎡ lakeside home was completed on 30 January 2026 — now a family home and holiday rental.

Interior
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Erdem Yıldırım
Behind the Design

Designing with the mountain, not against it

Every Lycia property begins as a question of place — how a building should sit within the terrain, the light, and the seasons of Hakuba. That question is led by Erdem Yıldırım, an architect and associate professor whose academic work centres on computer-aided design, parametric modelling, and augmented and virtual reality.

He brings innovative digital methodologies into practical design — using them not as spectacle, but as tools for precision, so that each space is resolved carefully before a single foundation is poured. His work has been recognised with multiple awards in architecture and urban design competitions.

It is this discipline that gives our projects their quiet confidence: designed to endure, and built with the mountain in mind.

Erdem Yıldırım
Architect · Assoc. Prof., Ph.D.
  • Parametric Design
  • AR / VR
  • Award-winning

Creating spaces, experiences and opportunities in Hakuba and beyond.