IGArchitects adds pyramidal concrete home to sloping site in Okinawa
Japanese studio IGArchitects has completed the Pyramid Hut, an angular, concrete home nestled into a sloping site in Okinawa. Influenced by the home’s site, which backs onto …
#Japan #JP #Okinawa #concrete #concretehouses #igarchitects #Japanesearchitecture #japanesehouses #OkinawaTopics #section:all #section:architecture #沖縄
https://www.alojapan.com/1350376/igarchitects-adds-pyramidal-concrete-home-to-sloping-site-in-okinawa/
https://www.alojapan.com/1350376/igarchitects-adds-pyramidal-concrete-home-to-sloping-site-in-okinawa/ IGArchitects adds pyramidal concrete home to sloping site in Okinawa #concrete #ConcreteHouses #igarchitects #Japan #JapaneseArchitecture #JapaneseHouses #Okinawa #OkinawaTopics #section:all #section:architecture #沖縄 Japanese studio IGArchitects has completed the Pyramid Hut, an angular, concrete home nestled into a sloping site in Okinawa. Influenced by the home’s site, which backs onto a cemetery, IGArchitects designed the pyramidal home as
OMG...
How I wish to have a place like this 😭
Taken from IG: Roompa
#Japan #JapaneseHouses #JapaneseHistory
OMG...
How I wish to have a place like this 😭
Taken from IG: Roompa
#Japan #JapaneseHouses #JapaneseHistory
#goodmorning from #japan !
#catloversworld #catseverywhere #adopt #happypicture #decor #japanesehouses
Starting a #patchwork project in my creative corner!
#Japanesefolklore #japanlover #tatamirooms #cosyindoors #homedecor #vintagestyle #retro #DIY #handmade #crafty #sewingproject #japanesehouses
So my partner is away which means the bed is even colder than usual (#JapaneseHouses). I put the AC heating on but now I’m too hot to sleep 😑
May well be a zombie tomorrow.
Earthquake/construction/large truck passing by?
The eternal question.
I really don’t understand why both my partner and I are freezing today in the house when technically the outdoor temperature is higher than yesterday.
#JapaneseHouses
And so, to bed. In full pajamas. And a night cap. It will drop to -1°C tonight.
#JapaneseHouses have no #insulation
Commenter says "no culture experiments with the domestic house like the Japanese"
In this week's comments update, readers are debating a Japanese house arranged around a series of central staircases and discussing other top stories.
Archipelago Architects Studio arranged Kappa House in Kanagawa, Japan, around a series of central staircases that divide the spaces and provide places to sit or relax.
The house was designed to occupy a compact plot that was originally part of the neighbouring house's garden. As well as living spaces, the house includes a small rehearsal room where its street performer owner can practice.
"This is a terrible use of space"
Readers are perplexed. "Yikes," said Gui, "this is a terrible use of space, horrifically dangerous configuration of stairs, and really not suited for habitation."
Gaby Leblanc agreed: "Deadly dangerous, awkward to use, limited space is wasted and made virtually unusable. Horizontal lines cutting across your line of sight are seriously unpleasant. No windows. Could they make this house any more defective?"
"The decision to place the stairs in the middle of the house denied the possibility of having any decent size rooms in the house," added Walter Astor. "The left-over spaces on either side of the stair are borderline useless. The resident can barely get out of bed without risking falling into the space below."
Puzzello was more positive: "No culture experiments with the domestic house like the Japanese. I love it."
Is Kappa House's design a bad or good use of space? Join the discussion ›
MIT engineers build load-bearing structures using tree forks instead of steel joints
Reader says "boatbuilders have been using natural bends in wood to make joints for millennia"
Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers have sparked conversation amongst commenters by building load-bearing structures using discarded tree forks instead of steel joints. Commenters are feeling nostalgic.
"Boatbuilders have been using natural bends and forks in wood to make joints and strengthen connections for millennia," said Dana Marlin. "The problem with letting old technology and know-how die is that it needs to be reinvented again later on."
"So a university has spent a fortune finding out what Anglo Saxon woodworkers knew 1,500 years ago and people have been using the technique in houses and boat buildings ever since?" asked Jim Robertson.
"As a species, we've come full circle," replied Zane Gray.
Are readers missing the point? Join the discussion ›
Kengo Kuma breaks ground on plant-covered Silicon Valley building with "green lung"
Commenter calls Kengo Kuma building "post-apocalyptic"
Readers are divided over Park Habitat, a plant-covered building in Silicon Valley designed by Japanese studio Kengo Kuma and Associates and featuring a green atrium at its centre.
"One of the few 'planted' skyscrapers where the plants actually seem properly integrated with the building instead of slapped on as a greenwashing afterthought," said George Panagos. "Post-apocalyptic in the best possible way."
Romeo Reyes continued: "Another masterpiece from the maestro. As long as all the technical complexity of maintaining the greenery is covered rigorously, there is no reason for it not to flourish in perpetuity."
"I am so incredibly tired of every major architecture practice continuing this charade of lush, matured trees and landscaping draping their designs," disagreed Bananorama. "'Green lung' is laughable and another marketing attempt to bury extremely resource-intensive, structural gymnastics under the greenwashed umbrella."
Is covering buildings in plants greenwashing or clever design? Join the discussion ›
Parc de la Villette is the "largest deconstructed building in the world"
Readers agree "Parc de la Villette is a really well-designed park"
Commenters are discussing architect Bernard Tschumi's Parc de la Villette in Paris, which has been featured in our deconstructivism series as being one of the movement's earliest and most influential projects.
"If you can forget the theoretical nonsense," said Alfred Hitchcock, "La Villette is a really well-designed park."
Bras Cubas agreed: "Parc de La Villette is a great park – still a very popular place, all year around, day and night."
"Humane, peaceful, full of nature and a great place to take the kids to have a picnic," concluded Chuck.
What do you think of deconstructivist architecture? Join the discussion ›
Comments update
Dezeen is the world's most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions onour comments page.
The post Commenter says "no culture experiments with the domestic house like the Japanese" appeared first on Dezeen.
#all #comments #architecture #japan #staircases #japanesehouses
Kappa House by Archipelago Architects Studio uses staircases as surfaces and partitions
Archipelago Architects Studio arranged this house in Kanagawa, Japan, around a series of central staircases that divide the spaces and provide places to sit or relax.
The Tokyo-based architecture office designed Kappa House to occupy a compact plot that was originally part of the neighbouring house's garden.
The client for the project is a street performer whose act imitates a folkloric water sprite called a kappa, from which the project takes its name. The house's living spaces include a small rehearsal room where the owner can practice.
KAPPA House is a home in Japan that was designed by Archipelago Architects Studio
With a footprint of just 23 square metres and a building height that was limited by local planning regulations to eight metres, the architects sought ways to optimise the internal area by arranging it around centrally located stairs.
"Three layered staircases were purposely placed in the centre of the house," Archipelago Architects Studio explained, "while maximising the floor height and creating an expansive one-room space within a limited small footprint of the building."
The staircases contribute to the building's structure, acting as a horizontal bracing element that eliminates the need for internal load-bearing walls.
The building has a rectangular form with a painted exterior
Floor plates with a thickness of just 45 millimetres are suspended on either side of the staircases. The cross-laminated timber floors are shifted in plan and section to create separation between the various functional areas.
"These inserted thin and refined floors function as both structure and finish of the building," the architects added. "The thinness of the floor allows light, wind, and human presence to gently spread across the space, literally inextricably linked to each other."
The interior of Kappa House is arranged around a series of staircases
The house's entrance leads into a ground floor containing the rehearsal room and studio on one side of the central stair, with a compact lounge lined with bookshelves on the other.
The next level accommodates a pair of bedrooms positioned on either side of a storage unit. Opposite the sleeping areas is a row of storage cabinets along with the WC and sanitary spaces.
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A second staircase ascends from the bedroom level to a bright, loft-like kitchen and living area. A third set of stairs that extends to touch the ceiling separates the space and provides a place to sit, eat, drink or read.
"The staircase can also be used as an extension of the floor, or as a counter that connects to chairs, shelves, tables, and the kitchen," the architects suggested. "It has a dynamic functionality that always responds to the body."
"By making a blind staircase towards the ceiling and walls, we aim to question the stereotype of the staircase which normally serves as a fixed purpose of only moving up and down," they added.
The home's living spaces are split around the staircases
The studio described the uppermost section of the staircase as a "terrace-like area" that offers the best views of the surrounding neighbourhood through windows on either side.
The stairs are finished with a textured surface made from a greenish-blue resin that distinguishes it from the wooden furniture and steel structural elements.
The staircases employ the same patina as the exterior
The same surface treatment is applied to the base mortar of the external elevations, which helps the building to blend in with the garden and the existing streetscape.
The textured walls already display a patina that makes the house appear as if it has been in situ for a long time. The surfaces will gradually change to enhance this sense of the building ageing and merging with its setting.
The interior has a wooden finish
Elsewhere in Japan, Tanijiri Makoto of architecture studio Suppose Design Office created a monolithic concrete home in Tokyo that features dark living spaces that open onto a sheltered terrace.
In Yanakacho, KACH wrapped translucent polycarbonate panels around the upper floor of a house to conceal its private areas.
The video is byGrafilm.
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#all #residential #architecture #japan #houses #staircases #japanesehouses
Polycarbonate screens conceal bedrooms of House in Yanakacho by KACH
Translucent polycarbonate panels wrap around the upper floor of this house in Yanakacho, Japan, hiding the private areas from view while allowing daylight to enter.
Appropriately named the House in Yanakacho, the dwelling was designed by Tokyo architecture studio KACH for a corner plot in a suburban residential area that is flanked by roads and other homes.
KACH has created a house in Yanakacho with polycarbonate cladding
The studio, which is headed by architects Taiga Kasai and Chong Aehyang, positioned the home's living areas towards the centre of the site. Its perimeter accommodates a gravel garden and a sheltered carport.
The ground-floor living spaces are enclosed by glazed walls and sliding doors that can be retracted to provide access to the garden and the streetscape.
The polycarbonate creates a privacy screen for the home's bedrooms
"By gently connecting the surrounding environment to the deepest core of the house, we want to create an open and lively home where the residents' life becomes a part of the town, and the town becomes their garden," the studio explained.
Rooms requiring more privacy are accommodated on the upper floor, where the polycarbonate sheath wraps around the entire building.
The ground-floor living spaces are enclosed by sliding doors
Supported by a steel frame that extends out beyond the facades, the ridged plastic screen allows daylight to reach the decked terraces and living spaces while preventing overlooking.
"The floating enclosure creates separation, but since it floats, the house itself is still connected to the surrounding environment," KACH added.
A gravel garden lines the perimeter
"Inside the enclosure, residents remain hidden from the outside when they climb up, but they can choose to come down and present themselves within the area that continues to the outside," the studio continued.
The house's entrance leads directly into a double-height dining area and kitchen lined with sliding glass doors. A corner of this space can be opened up to connect with the outdoors.
An external curtain can be closed for additional privacy
A sequence of stepped levels divides the rest of the house into different zones. These spaces each have a distinct identity but remain linked due to a lack of internal walls or partitions.
"Each room is connected so that the residents can feel each other's presence no matter where they are in the house," said KACH.
Wooden flooring lines the interior
Wooden flooring used across the ground floor also forms a series of steps and benches with built-in storage, which ascend to a small lounge area with a TV.
More stairs on either side of the lounge connect with the main bedroom on one side, and two single bedrooms at the opposite corner of the house.
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Each bedroom has its own external study on a mezzanine overlooking the living area. This is lined with a mesh balustrade that prevents the obstruction of views and light passing between the spaces.
Voids inserted between the rooms form courtyards planted with trees that are visible on both levels of the house. The upper floor also incorporates several decked terraces shielded behind the polycarbonate screen.
The interiors can be opened up to the outside
An external curtain installed beneath the screen can be closed to hide the garden area from the street. Additional curtains inside the living areas provide a further layer of protection when privacy is required.
"The external curtain is one of the essential features that change the quality of the enclosed space, and that allows the residents to adjust the relationship between the house and the community," the architects added.
Terraces are hidden by the polycarbonate
Suppose Design Office also used polycarbonate to create a translucent exterior for a house in Hiroshima, which allows natural light to flood the interior without comprising residents' privacy.
Other recently completed Japanese houses featured on Dezeen include a Tokyo residence by Apollo Architects & Associates that is arranged around hidden courtyards and a Nagoya dwelling with an Aztec-informed pyramid.
The photography is byAtelier Vincent Hecht.
Project credits:
Architect: Taiga Kasai + Chong Aehyang Architecture/ KACH
Structure engineer: Yuko Mihara/Graph Studio
Textile design: Yuri Himuro/Himuro Design Studio
Construction: Yasumatsu Takken Co.
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#all #architecture #residential #instagram #japan #japanesearchitecture #houses #polycarbonate #japanesehouses
Jorge Almazán creates minimal broken-plan interior for House in Honjo
Suspended ceilings and unnecessary partition walls were removed in this minimalist revamp of a house in Japan's Saitama Prefecture, designed by Jorge Almazán Architects.
House in Honjo was previously divided into rooms and corridors, which made it feel small and cramped.
Removing walls created a more open ground floor
Architect Jorge Almazán and his team designed a new ground-floor layout that removed as many partition walls as possible, creating a continuous living space that offers a greater feeling of spaciousness.
The new layout is broken-plan rather than open-plan; the space is loosely divided up into different zones by the few remaining partition walls, and a few custom furniture pieces.
The remaining partition walls create a broken-plan layout
As well as creating extra head height, the removal of the suspended ceiling boards reveals the steel structural beams and wooden joists, giving the home a more utilitarian feel.
House in Honjo is home to a fashion critic who recently relocated from Tokyo for work.
Although the 163-square-metre property did not meet her requirements, the location was convenient for her job. She asked Almazán to redesign the 97-square-metre ground floor, leaving the rest of the building intact.
A suspended ceiling was removed to reveal structural beams
"Her home had to be spacious and filled with natural light, as well as a place where she could hold family and friend gatherings," explained Jorge Almazán Architects.
The new broken-plan living space incorporates an entrance hall, a lounge, a dining space and a kitchen organised around an island.
Privacy can be created by placing more items on the shelves
Informed by the client's interest in fashion, Almazán added different material textures to each space. The kitchen features a stainless steel worktop, the dining area centres around a marble table, and the lounge features white leather upholstery.
"Each element is 'dressed' with a distinctive tactile and visual experience," said the studio.
A new window was added in the lounge
Wood features heavily throughout. The flooring is birch wood, while plywood lines the walls and provides furniture, including shelves and sideboards that act as space dividers.
More or less privacy can be created by adding or removing elements from the shelving that separates the lounge and the dining area from the entrance hall.
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Flexibility was considered throughout. The lounge furniture can be easily moved to create room for exercise or, in the future, children's play space, while the dining table is designed to also function as a workspace.
Underfloor heating ensures that the space will stay comfortable during Saitama's notoriously cold winters, while the more open layout creates more opportunities for cross ventilation in the warmer summer months.
A plywood sideboard creates a natural space divider
A new window was installed to increase the volume of natural light in the lounge space, with a window sill that is deep enough to allow space for pot plants, while a skylight was added in the hallway.
A new toilet and utility room was also created as part of the renovation, which helps to rationalise the layout at the rear of the ground floor.
Plywood also lines the walls of the renovated living spaces
House in Honjo "has proved to be especially suited for the new domestic conditions imposed by the pandemic," noted Jorge Almazán Architects.
"The comfort of natural light and ventilation, the rich tactility of its surfaces, and the spatial openness and versatility have allowed this renovated house to become an enjoyable interior oasis."
Plants can be displayed on the deep window sills
Home renovations are less common in Japan than other countries, as rebuilding is usually the preferred option.
Japanese real estate firm Goodlife recently set out to change this, with the renovation of a compact apartment in Tokyo. Other recent examples include a minimally furnished flat in Nagoya.
Photography is byMontse Zamorano.
Project credits
Architect: Jorge Almazán Architects
Design team: Jorge Almazán, Javier Celaya, Gaku Inoue, Rumi Okazaki.
Contractor (interior and furniture): Shibata Kenchiku Design Room
Electricity: Uchimura Denki
Kitchen manufacturer: Kitazawa Kitchen
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#all #interiors #residential #architecture #japan #renovations #japanesehouses #brokenplaninteriors
Apollo Architects & Associates arranges Tokyo house around hidden courtyards
A pair of internal courtyards filled with plants bring daylight and greenery into the living spaces of this home designed by Apollo Architects & Associates for a site in central Tokyo.
The clients for the Timeless residence, a couple who had lived at the property in Tokyo's Minamiaoyama district for many years, wanted to redevelop the site after their children moved out.
The Tokyo house was designed to have a closed appearance
Apollo Architects & Associates was tasked with designing a new home that would make the most of the corner site in this quiet residential neighbourhood.
The house presents a mostly closed appearance to the surrounding streets, which is intended to enhance the owners' privacy and security.
The home is constructed from stacked concrete volumes
The building comprises two concrete volumes stacked vertically and separated by a narrow band of glazing. The facades feature a subtle surface texture created by the cedar formwork used to cast the concrete walls.
On one of the street-facing elevations, the upper volume extends out at an angle to follow the line of the pavement and shelter the main entrance.
A large courtyard features bamboo trees and other plants in pots
Behind the solid outer facades, the house's interior feels more open and connected to the sky due to the inclusion of two parallel courtyards at the front and rear of the building.
These open-air spaces are lined with glazing to ensure plenty of natural light reaches the adjacent living areas, while also allowing views of a bamboo garden and other greenery.
A smaller courtyard functions as a lightwell
"The main courtyard is on the south side and features a bamboo grove that draws the eye when one steps into the entryway," the architects pointed out.
"Because the living room, study, and bedrooms all face onto this courtyard, the clients and their dog can enjoy outdoor time as they please."
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A second, narrower courtyard on the north side functions as a lightwell that draws daylight down into the entrance area. A smaller lounge on the first floor is also flanked by glazed walls lining this void.
On the south side of the main living space, the upper storey extends beyond the glazed facade to protect the interior from direct sunlight.
The main bedroom overlooks the courtyard
A stairwell topped with a skylight connects the entrance hall with additional living spaces and bedrooms on the first floor, including the casual lounge area and an adjacent roof terrace overlooking the courtyard below.
This level also contains the main bedroom along with four further rooms. The bedroom is lined with full-height windows providing a view of the bamboo trees.
Full-height windows let light into the home
According to the architects, the house's design responds to a perceived shift in the requirements of homeowners following the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In the post-Covid era, residential clients are less interested in rooms with clear functions or houses that are mere collections of individual rooms," the studio claimed.
Apollo Architects & Associates designed the house to be flexible
The Timeless house aims to provide flexible spaces with different moods and atmospheres, which the occupants can use in various ways throughout the day.
"Families want homes where they spend meaningful quality time, maintaining both distance and closeness as they cross casually between indoor and outdoor spaces, almost as if they were traveling within their own house," the architects added.
"We believe that this kind of free environment is what clients will be seeking in residential architecture in years to come."
Greenery was also used in the bathroom
Apollo Architects & Associates is based in Tokyo and was founded in 2000 by Satoshi Kurosaki.
The firm's previous projects include a skinny house squeezed onto a tiny plot in Tokyo, and a multigenerational family home arranged around a walled garden.
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#all #architecture #residential #japan #tokyo #houses #apolloarchitectsassociates #japanesehouses #concretehouses
Kompas completes tile-clad house and gallery for art collector in Japan
Architecture studio Kompas has completed a house and art gallery in Chiba, Japan, featuring a sawtooth roof and a facade clad in black tiles that are angled to create louvred openings.
Named the Nishiji Project, the residence was designed by Kompas for a real estate developer and art collector who wanted a family home that could double as his company's offices and a gallery.
Kompas has created a house and art gallery called the Nishiji Project
The site in Chiba's historic Nishifunabashi neighbourhood was owned by the client's parents and already contained their home, alongside several old warehouses and a parking area.
Kompas positioned the new building at the opposite end of the site from the existing house and orientated the plan so the living areas look onto a quiet central garden.
It is clad in black tiles
"Our first approach was to organise the entire site so that the two families' lives and the workspaces coexist comfortably, arranging site circulation and developing a sloped garden moderating the level differences between the two buildings," said Kompas.
The Nishiji Project contains garages at the centre of its ground floor, while the galleries and offices are arranged vertically across three storeys on the south side facing the main road.
The building features a sawtooth roof
The client was keen for the building to engage with the neighbourhood, so the prominent southern elevation features a public entrance that invites visitors to enter from the adjacent street.
Traditional Japanese kawara tiles clad most of the exterior and were chosen to recall an old warehouse that had occupied the site since the owner's grandparents' generation.
Its tile-clad elevations rest on a monolithic concrete base
A special version of the tiles called Kuroibushi kawara, which are blackened to resist salt damage, was used to cover the upper portion of the facades.
Most of the tiles are laid in a typical overlapping pattern, but in places where light and views are required, they are rotated outwards to form louvred openings.
There is an outdoor terrace at the centre of the building
The tile-clad elevations rest on a monolithic concrete base and extend up to the sawtooth roof, which allows consistent northern light to flood into the gallery and living spaces.
Behind the three-storey elevation facing the street, the building steps down towards the north to follow the local building code and create spaces with a more residential scale.
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The pitch and height of the sawtooth roofs vary depending on the usage and daylight requirements of the internal spaces below.
The three uppermost windows flood the large gallery with natural light, while a bedroom and the main living space below feature openings that look out towards the garden.
The dwelling is positioned at the back of a plot owned by the client's parents
An outdoor terrace at the centre of the building provides a shortcut between the living spaces and the offices. The sheltered first-floor terrace can be used as an additional exhibition space or as a play area for the children.
Several other interstitial spaces incorporated between the main rooms will allow the Nishiji Project to adapt over time, potentially providing additional galleries to house the owner's growing art collection.
The gallery is lit by the sawtooth roof. Photo is by Munemasa Takahashi
The arrangement of spaces over multiple levels and the creation of rooms with varying sizes and daylight conditions enhances the building's flexibility.
According to the architects, following Nishiji Project's completion, the owner made the decision to open the spaces to the public rather than using the building solely as a private gallery.
The private living spaces look out to the garden
"This new cluster with the kawara facade and the sawtooth roofs begins a new era in this historical site as a generous field to comfortably mix artworks, residents, and visitors," claimed Kompas.
"We hope this architecture to be the reliable base for art and culture appealing to the world, besides supporting joyful and abundant daily life like living in a museum."
The exhibition spaces are open to the public. Photo is by Munemasa Takahashi
Other homes featured on Dezeen that double as art galleries include Oeuf by Flat House in Tokyo and the Cambridge Residence in Massachusetts by Stern McCafferty Architects.
Elsewhere in Japan, Apollo Architects & Associates designed the Fleuve house for a client who wanted to combine their home with a small salon space from which to operate his business.
The photography is byVincent Hecht unless stated.
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#all #architecture #residential #japan #japanesearchitecture #houses #galleries #tiles #japanesehouses #blackhouses #sawtoothroofs
Tomoaki Uno Architects designs Japanese house with Aztec-informed pyramid
A truncated stone pyramid containing a study stands in one corner of the introverted Takamine-cho House, designed by Tomoaki Uno Architects in Japan's Aichi Prefecture.
Located in a green residential district in Nagoya, the stone and concrete dwelling takes cues from the pyramid of Tenayuca, an Aztec pyramid in the Valley of Mexico.
Takamine-cho House references Aztec pyramids
It was designed by local studio Tomoaki Uno Architects for a client who wanted a home built using traditional dry stone construction methods.
According to the studio's founder, as this form of masonry construction is traditionally only used in Japan "for the foundations of castles, castle foundations, and stone walls", he turned to Aztec architecture for ideas.
It features a stone pyramid containing a study
"I felt pretty uneasy and uncomfortable about using this traditional Japanese masonry as part of a building with a different purpose," Tomoaki Uno explained.
"I couldn't get rid of the awkward feeling that I was trashing the tradition, and a lot of time passed without being able to propose," he continued. "It was the pyramids of Tenayuca that brought me out of this impasse."
The home is arranged around a courtyard and water garden
Protruding from one corner of the home, the pyramid sits next to a central courtyard and water garden, around which the rest of the inward-looking concrete home has been arranged.
"The overall plan is to give a feeling of openness to the rooms while protecting the private space surrounding the two gardens," explained Uno.
A concrete structure is exposed throughout
The upper level of Takamine-cho House has an L-shaped plan containing a living, dining and kitchen area, which overlooks the courtyard through glass curtain walls.
On the home's lower floor there is the main bedroom, alongside four smaller bedrooms that are arranged around a garage.
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Apart from the glazing overlooking the courtyard, the home contains only a few small windows, opting instead for a series of small skylights in its exposed concrete ceilings.
The pyramidal study is accessed internally through an opening in the living space, or directly from the street where a projecting concrete opening sits at the top of a staircase.
Concrete fireplace
Inside, it is lined with concrete panels and has a concrete fireplace. A skylight and an opening overlooking the water garden provide natural lighting.
Set against the concrete and stone, black ironwork has been used for the courtyard doors and, internally, for the handles of sliding wooden doors and stair balustrades.
The concrete is paired with black ironwork
In the basement, the bedrooms are brightened with warm pale wood elements such as shelves and cupboards.
Tomoaki Uno Architects was founded by Uno in Nagoya in 1990. Other recent projects by the studio include Ogimachi House, a pared-back and therapeutic home built almost entirely from wood to create a "healing" atmosphere.
The photography is by Yasuo Hagiwara.
The post Tomoaki Uno Architects designs Japanese house with Aztec-informed pyramid appeared first on Dezeen.
#residential #all #architecture #japan #japanesearchitecture #stone #houses #japanesehouses #concretehouses #tomoakiunoarchitects
Extended eaves shelter garden of Imaise House by Tatsuya Kawamoto + Associates
Japanese studio Tatsuya Kawamoto + Associates has created a house in the city of Ichinomiya, Japan, with exaggerated eaves that shelter an outdoor living space and garden.
The dwelling, named Imaise House, is situated on a private side road in a densely populated district. It is shortlisted in the urban house category of Dezeen Awards 2021.
The roof of Imaise House shelters outdoor living spaces
Imaise House is designed by Tatsuya Kawamoto + Associates with an overhanging roof that extends to the very limit of the site's boundary, which is formed by the edge of the road.
"We aim to get the maximum spatial volume by taking in the surrounding environment of the private road, where the front road is an individual property and planning a space in which the inside and outside are seamlessly continuous," explained studio founder Tatsuya Kawamoto.
The roof extends to the site's boundary
The studio's main objective when designing Imaise House was to achieve high earthquake resistance while creating large, open living spaces.
Rather than adopting the typical approach of placing an open-plan living area above a cluster of cellular rooms, Kawamoto chose to create a series of timber "gate-frames" that support the sloping roof.
The dwelling has a timber frame
Each frame spans the entire eight-metre width of the plot, ensuring that the open floor area is as generous as possible while achieving the stability required for earthquake protection.
The walls vary in height and support the pitched roof, which extends out at the front of the house. Its large eaves are interrupted by openings through which trees protrude.
A bedroom is positioned beneath the tallest point of the house
"In order to make effective use of the limited premises, it is expected that the life of the resident will gradually ooze out into the area under the large roof by extending the eaves to the front roadside and creating an external space continuously," Kawamoto added.
The six wooden frames are arranged linearly from the front to the rear of the site and have been evenly spaced to bring a sense of rhythm to the interior.
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Read:
Katsutoshi Sasaki tops cross-shaped house with large overhanging roof
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Imaise House's main living space occupies the majority of the ground floor and comprises a lounge, kitchen and dining area that looks out onto the sheltered garden.
Curtains incorporated into each of the frames can be closed to separate the open space into different zones.
One of the private rooms has tatami flooring
Private spaces, including a bathroom and a traditional Japanese-style room with tatami flooring, are accommodated at the rear of the building.
Stairs lead up to a pared-back bedroom positioned beneath the ridge at the tallest point of the house. Internal windows allow daylight to enter the bedroom and provide a visual connection to the living space below.
Curtains are used to separate the open living spaces
Other Japanese houses with large overhanging roof include the Kasa House in Kariya by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates, where the eaves are used to shelter four covered gardens.
In Nara, FujiwaraMuro Architects used an oversized roof supported by large wooden beams to shade the interiors of the House in Gakuenmae.
Photography is by Takashi Uemura.
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Moriya and Partners designs geometric villa overlooking the sea in Japan
A steep, timber-framed roof shelters this triangular home by Japanese practice Moriya and Partners, located on a cliff edge overlooking the sea in Yawatano, Japan.
Responding to the client's request for "a view of the sea from the living room", the home, called Setoyama, has been shortlisted in the rural house category of Dezeen Awards 2021.
Top: Setoyama was built on sloping terrain. Above: the home has a triangular form and overlooks the sea
The wood-clad upper level of the home houses a large, triangular living area and terrace, raised to create a vantage point for looking out at a nearby forest and the sea.
A narrow kitchen sits alongside this space, and below a small bedroom sits within a long, thin concrete base that supports the home.
The building has a large overhang that is supported by steel rods
The distinctive form of the building is designed to blend in with the surroundings, with its steeply sloping, asymmetric pitched roof informed by the precipitous drop of the cliff-edge.
"One of the factors that greatly influenced the form of the building was the steep slope of the river that runs beside the site," practice founder Takahiro Moriya told Dezeen.
Full-height windows provide views across the sea
A timber truss structure supports this geometric roof form, extending from steel columns on the concrete base to create a large overhang. Thin steel supports in one corner minimise the impact on the ground.
"We tried to avoid modifying the land itself or touching the boundaries of the forest...by building a certain distance from this natural territory, the villa lightly blends into the surrounding environment, becoming buried in the forest," said the practice.
The upper level's overhang creates a covered external seating area at the southern end of the home, finished with wooden decking and hugged by an informal stone wall.
Inside, the framework of the roof has been left exposed, combined with dark timber planks to create a dramatic ceiling above the main living space. This area is illuminated by a triangular run of windows that gradually increases in height along the edge of the home.
Dark timber planks create a dramatic atmosphere in the living area
Built into the wall of the living space are the kitchen's storage areas and countertops, opposite a large, triangular bar and dining area that extends out into the lounge.
Two steps lead to the external terrace at the southern end of the home, sitting alongside a glazed bathroom block designed to give the feeling of bathing in the forest.
A built-in bathtub occupies the end of the bathroom
Below, the more private and enclosed bedroom is accessed via a small staircase, and has its own direct access out onto the covered ground-floor terrace.
Other projects shortlisted in the rural house category of Dezeen Awards 2021 include Mt Coot-Tha house in Brisbane by Nielsen Jenkins, a forest retreat that has been designed to withstand bushfires.
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Concrete stilts protect House in Takaoka from extreme weather
Japanese studio Unemori Architects has completed a house in the city of Takaoka that is raised 70 centimetres above the ground on concrete stilts to protect it from flooding and heavy snow.
The owners of the House in Takaoka – a couple with two young daughters – approached Tokyo-based Unemori Architects to design a home that responds to the region's harsh climate.
Unemori Architects has raised a Japanese house on concrete stilts
In winter, this area of the Toyama Prefecture typically experiences heavy snowfall, short daylight hours and high humidity.
The single-storey, 112-square-metre building is raised above the ground to reduce the risk of flooding from the nearby river, while also allowing for air circulation and protection from snow accumulation.
The stilts help protect it from flooding and heavy snow
The house is built on a deep lot in an old district of Takaoka, flanked by a neighbouring property to the north and a warehouse to the south.
Unemori Architects was tasked with creating a building that faces away from its neighbours while incorporating large windows that allow maximum daylight to enter.
Clerestory windows line the main open-plan living area
The firm divided the building into three parts with varying floor and ceiling heights, which helps to differentiate between the internal rooms.
The tallest space contains the main open-plan living area. Clerestory windows above the kitchen and a large opening in the adjacent wall allow natural light to flood into this room and provide views of the sky.
A short set of cantilevered stairs leads to the children's bedrooms
The living room is lined on one side by a tiled area resembling a traditional engawa – a verandah-like space between inside and outside. The floor height is lowest at this point to enhance the connection with the adjacent sheltered courtyard.
The main bedroom is positioned on the opposite site of the courtyard and is reached via a corridor lined with utility spaces including the bathroom and laundry room.
A separate volume adjoining the living room contains the children's bedrooms. This space is elevated above the others and is reached using a short set of cantilevered stairs.
The house is supported by reinforced-concrete piles that extend down nine metres into the earth and are intended to resemble utility poles where they emerge from the ground.
Wooden finishes are used throughout the dwelling
The concrete pillars support wooden roof beams that span the living spaces. The floors are suspended from the structure using steel rods, leaving the underside of the building free and unobstructed.
Japanese architect Hiroyuki Unemori founded his eponymous studio in 2009. The office focuses on producing buildings that appear simple despite often employing complex structural solutions, like an "earthquake-proof" community centre in Fukushima and a house on a tiny plot in Tokyo.
The photography is by Kai Nakamura.
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