Arboleda house by Horibe Associates

The clients for this small house in Tokushima, Japan, asked architect Naoko Horibe for a timber interior and an exterior that looks like a sports car.

Arboleda by Horibe Associates

Naoko Horibe of Osaka studio Horibe Associates says she designed the house to “combine two completely opposing concepts in a single structure, without a sense of clashing.”

Arboleda by Horibe Associates

“One was an exterior like a sports car; the second was a natural interior featuring wood,” she said.

Arboleda by Horibe Associates

A cloak of galvanised metal folds over the sides and roof of the structure, forming an asymmetric shape with a streamlined appearance.

Arboleda by Horibe Associates

This layer of cladding overhangs both the front and rear of the building, creating a sheltered entrance and shading the house’s windows.

Arboleda by Horibe Associates

The interior centres around a combined living and dining area, which leads directly into every other room and removes the need for corridors.

Arboleda by Horibe Associates

Timber roof joists are left exposed across the ceilings, plus the pitch of the roof creates a pair of triangular windows along the upper sections of the walls.

Arboleda by Horibe Associates

The angled roof also allows space for a small loft, which the architect describes as a “special den” for the family’s husband.

Arboleda by Horibe Associates

A bedroom and traditional Japanese room run along one side of the house and are slightly elevated to create storage spaces underneath.

Arboleda by Horibe Associates

Photography is by Kaori Ichikawa.

Floor plan of Arboleda by Horibe Associates
Floor plan – click for larger image
Arboleda by Horibe Associates
Loft plan – click for larger image

Key to diagrams:

1.Approach
2.Entrance
3.Living, dining and kitchen
4.Food storage
5.Terrace
6.Japanese-style room
7.Bedroom
8.Walk-in closet
9.Lavatory
10.Washroom
11.Bathroom
12.Closet
13.Loft

Long section of Arboleda by Horibe Associates
Long section
Section of Arboleda by Horibe Associates
Cross section
West elevation of Arboleda by Horibe Associates
West elevation
South elevation of Arboleda by Horibe Associates
South elevation

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House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

Angular cutaways and a deep shaft create apertures between the floors of this family house on Shikoku Island, Japan, by Osaka studio Horibe Associates (+ slideshow).

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

The compact wooden House in Kamihachiman was designed by Horibe Associates with all its windows on the northern side, overlooking bamboo woodland rather than neighbouring houses.

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

“The challenge in this design was to provide a comfortable, open lifestyle despite the fact the building site is surrounded by other homes lined up uniformly on a street running along their south side,” said architect Naoko Horibe.

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

The houses’s rear facade is built at an angle, with double-height windows that bring daylight into an open-plan dining and kitchen area.

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

The internal window and cutaways offer glimpses between this space and the bedrooms on the floor above.

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

A living room just beyond is lined with low wooden benches and leads out to an open-air courtyard, which provides another source of natural lighting.

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

“The overall result is a home that is much more comfortable and relaxing than one would guess by looking at the surrounding neighbourhood,” said the architect.

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

A lavatory, bathroom and laundry room are clustered together on the opposite side of the house, while the three first-floor bedrooms are arranged around a central wooden staircase.

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

Other recent projects by Horibe Associates include a kinked house with storage space on one side, a charred wooden house in an arc shape and a combined home and dog-grooming salon.

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

See more architecture by Horibe Associates »
See more Japanese houses »

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

Photography is by Kaori Ichikawa.

Here’s a short project description from the architects:


House in Kamihachiman

The challenge in this design was to enable a comfortable, open lifestyle despite the fact that the building site is surrounded by other homes lined up uniformly on a street running along their south side. The architects chose not to place windows on the southern side of the home, where they would look out only on neighbouring houses, and instead included large windows on the northern side that take advantage of the view of a bamboo forest behind the property.

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates

In doing so they achieved even natural lighting and a feeling of spaciousness in the interior. A private walled-in terrace connecting to the living room adds to this sense of light and space. The overall result is a home that is much more comfortable and relaxing than one would guess by looking at the surrounding neighbourhood.

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates
Ground floor plan – click for larger image

Key to diagrams:

Ground floor
1.Entrance
2.Lavatory
3.Bathroom
4.Washroom
5.Walk-in closet
6.Dining & Kitchen
7.Living room
8.Terrace

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates
First floor plan – click for larger image

First floor
9.Room1
10.Room2
11.Room3

House in Kamihachiman by Horibe Associates
Long section – click for larger image

Location: Tokushima-Shi, Tokushima
Primary usage: Residence
Structure: wooden construction, two stories above ground
Family structure: Couple with a child
Site area: 175.29 m2
Building area: 74.54 m2
Total floor space: 98.92 m2
Completed: May 2013

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by Horibe Associates
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House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

This kinked house in Japan by architects Horibe Associates has all its storage space along one edge to buffer sounds from a noisy road (+ slideshow).

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

“This home sits on a road that gets a surprising amount of traffic given how narrow it is,” said Horibe Associates. “To minimise the noise from cars and to ensure privacy, [we] concentrated storage spaces along the side of the house facing the road and added a hallway as a further buffer shielding the main rooms.”

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

Designed for a couple and their child in Tokushima Prefecture, the wooden structure is clad in horizontal strips of dark metal.

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

The profile of the roof peaks at the kink, echoing the shapes of mountains in the distance.

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

At the back, rooms have large windows that look out over the cherry blossom trees in the expansive garden.

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

Bedrooms are located in the entrance wing, next to a opening that leads directly out to the back from the front door.

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

Combined kitchen, living and dining space at the end of the house opens out onto a pointy terrace, screened from the road by timber trellis that continues the line of the roof.

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

A timber lean-to sits at the other end of the house, stained the same colour as the wood front door.

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

This is the fourth project we’ve featured by Horibe Associates in the last month. Others include a charred wooden house with an arced profile, a family residence fronted by a sweeping canopy and a combined home and dog salon.

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

Other popular Japanese houses we’ve featured lately include a dazzling white abode with a shallow reflecting pool and a cedar-clad house with a garden that snakes between its rooms.

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates

Photography is by Kaori Ichikawa.

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates
Floor plan – click for larger image

See more Japanese houses »
See more architecture by Horibe Associates »

House in Yamakawa by Horibe Associates
Long section – click for larger image

The post House in Yamakawa
by Horibe Associates
appeared first on Dezeen.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

The arced profile of this charred wooden house by architects Horibe Associates is designed to resonate with the traditional temples and shrines of Yoshinogawa, Japan (+ slideshow).

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

Horibe Associates chose the bowed shape and dark external materials to help House in Kamoshima to integrate with the forms and colours of the local architecture and landscape.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

“With its simple arced shape echoing the shape of the property and its charred cedar exterior similar to that found throughout the neighbourhood, this residence blends seamlessly into its surroundings of peaceful rice fields, temples and shrines,” said the architects.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

Charred cedar cladding cloaks the curving wall at the front of the timber-framed property.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

This plain facade is only interrupted by a doorway to one side and a small rectangular window in the middle, which looks into a bright central courtyard.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

The courtyard features stepped wood decking and can be accessed via patio doors from the main bedroom, the combined kitchen and living area, and a spare room.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

“The layout allows the residents to keep an eye on their small children no matter where in the house they are,” the architects said.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe AssociatesHouse in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

The back of the building opens up to extra garden space through more large glass doors from the kitchen and tatami room.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

Most of the accommodation is on the ground floor, though a small staircase leads up to a roof terrace concealed behind the top of the curved facade.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

The latest projects we’ve published by Horibe Associates include a house with a sweeping peristyle around its entrance and a combined home and dog-grooming salon.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

A dazzling white home with a shallow reflecting pool and a residence with a garden that snakes between its cedar-clad walls are the most recent Japanese houses on Dezeen.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

Photos are by Kaori Ichikawa.

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates

See more Japanese houses »
See more architecture by Horibe Associates »
See more design and architecture in Japan »


Drawings key:

1 – Entrance
2 – Living & Dining & Kitchen
3 – Tatami space
4 – Bedroom
5 – Storeroom
6 – Free space

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates
Floor plan – click for larger image

7 – Walk-in closet
8 – Lavatory
9 – Washroom
10 – Bathroom
11 – Courtyard
12 – Car parking space

House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates
Section – click for larger image

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by Horibe Associates
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