Hasta La Ideas

The entire facade of this house in the Japanese town of Ōiso by atelier HAKO architects is clad in fibre-reinforced cement boards and punctuated by a series of scattered windows (+ slideshow).

The grey boards are typically used as a standard roofing material in Japanese housing developments but were also applied by atelier HAKO architects to cover the exterior walls.

Designed for a family with two children on a site near the Sagami Bay coastline of the Pacific Ocean, the cement boards also perform a practical role as they are resistant to corrosion from the salty air.

An offset gable gives the roofline an asymmetrical appearance, which helps the building stand out among its more conventional neighbours.

“The house was placed on the north side of the site in order to protect the garden from seasonal wind from [the] north in winter,” said the architects, who incorporated small windows on the north facade and positioned larger windows on the south side of the building facing the garden.

The southern facade also incorporates large sliding windows that open onto a deck reminiscent of an “engawa”, a strip of wooden flooring found between the living space and external storm shutters of traditional Japanese houses.

“[The] internal area was designed with an emphasis on continuity with the garden,” explained the architects, who created an open plan living and dining area on the ground floor next to a kitchen with an aperture in the wall linking the two spaces.

A spiral staircase with a bottom tread that appears to hover above the ground connects the living room with a hallway on the upper floor where the bedrooms, bathroom and children’s play area are also located.

Photography is by Shinsuke Kera / Urban Arts, unless stated otherwise.

Here are some details about the project:

The site is located at the edge of dwelling area close to the sea that is facing the agricultural land spread to the north-east mountain side.

The house was placed on the north side of the site in order to protect the garden from seasonal wind from north in winter.

Internal area was designed with an emphasis on continuity with the garden. In the south elevation, wide window and shallow depth wood deck which is like japanese traditional ‘engawa’ were provided as connect elements of the internal area and the garden, whereas other elevation was designed defensive to outside.

Triangular roof was slightly rotated with respect to the axis of the outer wall, the elevations got asymmetric shapes that offer humorous feeling at glance.

Fiber-reinforced cement board to be used usually as roofing material of mass production house in Japan was used as the exterior wall finishing material resistant to salt damage, thus overall architecture got abstract appearance covered with the same material all.

Name: House in Ōiso
Architect: Yukinobu Nanashima + Tomomi Sano / atelier HAKO architects
Structural engineer: Shin’itsu Hiraoka / Hiraoka Structural Engineers
Completion: March 2010
Location: Ōiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Primary usage: private residence
Structure: wooden construction, two stories above ground
Site area: 155.31 m2
Building area: 44.86 m2
Total floor space: 89.72 m2

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material by atelier HAKO architects appeared first on Dezeen.

An indoor courtyard with an earth floor and central tree is concealed behind the concrete walls of this bulky house in Hiroshima by Japanese studio Suppose Design Office (+ slideshow).

Located beside a canal, House in Yagi was designed by Suppose Design Office to deliberately look unfinished, so its concrete walls were left exposed both inside and outside.

“Unlike other projects, the final stage of construction for this house was not aiming towards a finish stage, but to let the owner experience the sense of completion after living here,” said the architects.

Living, dining and sleeping areas are all located in the uppermost section of the house, freeing up the ground floor to accommodate the double-height courtyard.

Square windows of different sizes surround this space, but were left without glazing to allow wind and rain to enter the building.

“All these elements are to enhance the experience of unlimited lifestyle that you may potentially have in this house, and minimise the boundary,” added the architects.

A concrete staircase folds around one corner, leading up to top-floor living spaces that include a combined dining room and kitchen, a bedroom that can be screened behind a partition, a bathroom and a general storage closet.

A narrow void in the floor plate creates a balcony looking down to the space below, but can be screened behind a folding glass door to prevent draughts.

The house accommodates a growing family of four, so could be adapted in the future to add new rooms.

Suppose Design Office is led by architect Makoto Tanijiri. Past projects by the firm include House in Minamimachi, a residence with offset floors, and House in Kamiosuga, which features walls that only reach halfway down from the ceiling.

Photography is by Toshiyuki Yano.

Here’s a project description from Suppose Design Office:

The House of Yagi

The House of Yagi is designed with the idea of an incomplete/complete form. Unlike other projects, the final stage of construction for this house was not aiming towards a finish stage, but to let the owner experience the sense of completion after living here.

Interior space of the house is designed to maximise the interaction to its surrounding environment. Ground floor material remained the same as the original site, with a single tree standing in the centre to present a natural contrast with the surrounding area. Windows of the 1st storey are kept open without any window shield or glass and creates an interesting interaction with wind and rain.

All these elements are to enhance the experience of unlimited lifestyle that you may potentially have in this house, and minimise the boundary. Through this different interpretation of connecting the exterior and interior space, new ways of living can be explored by the client.

Location: Hiroshima city, Japan
Principal use: personal house
Site area: 155.60 sqm
Building area: 56.24 sqm
Total floor area: 112.48 sqm
(1F: 56.24 sqm 2F: 56.24 sqm)
Completion: June 2012
Design period: April 2011 – January 2011
Construction period: February 2011 – June 2012
Structure: RC structure
Client: a couple and children
Project architect: Makoto Tanijiri [Suppose Design Office] + Ohno Hirohumi [Ohno JAPAN] Lighting: Original
Products: dining table
Flooring: 1F – masa soil, 2F – elm flooring + WAX (mat)
Internal Wall: exposed concrete
Ceiling: exposed concrete
Construction: Shinkou Kensetsu

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by Suppose Design Office appeared first on Dezeen.

White and black painted patches create artificial shafts of light and shadows on the walls of this salon in Japan by Tokyo studio Takara Space Design.

Architect Yozo Suzuki of Takara Space Design converted a former cafe in the Yamanashi Prefecture to create the hair and beauty salon, which is entitled GreeM.

The space had only small windows, so the architect used different shades of paint to exaggerate the appearance of light and shadow, in an attempt to brighten up an otherwise dark room.

“White and grey paintings, and artificial lighting on the walls looks like daylight from the windows,” said Suzuki. “With the combination of painted lights, shadows and lighting we tried to [add] the comfort that natural light has.”

The shades range from grey, light grey, white and cream, and the lighter patches are used to highlight seating areas and product displays.

There are two hair-dressing stations at the front of the space, with a hair-washing tucked away in a separate room.

Mirrors sit within chunky wooden frames, while wood-like vinyl tiles cover the floor.

Photography is by Keisuke Miyamoto.

Here’s some information from Yozo Suzuki:

Daylight of painting

There was a dark space which previous use is a cafe with small windows. Client requested us to convert the space to a beauty salon with low budget.

The way that we suggested was painting lights and shadows on the interior walls. White and grey paintings and artificial lightings on the wall look like daylight from the windows.

With the combination of painted lights, shadows and lighting,we tried to make a comfort as a natural light has. Customers can enjoy differences from ordinary lights.

Project name: greeM
Location: 4709-1 Ryuchi Kai-city Yamanashi Japan
Floor size: 45 sq m
Use: beauty salon for men and women. Hair cut, hair colour, hair perm, shampoo and head spa.
Floor: vinyl tile (wooden printed)
Wall: paint (white and grey)
Ceiling: paint on steel structures

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by Takara Space Design appeared first on Dezeen.

This house in Tokyo by Japanese studio Case-Real is rectangular at the front and hexagonal at the back (+ slideshow).

Japanese architect Koichi Futatsumata of Case-Real designed the two-storey House in Tsurumaki for a north-facing site in Setagaya, but was asked by the clients to create a south-facing living room.

To accommodate this, he added a hexagonal plan to the rear of the house. This created space for additional windows, which are set at 30-degree angles rather than facing directly towards neighbouring houses.

“This shape resulted in a plan where sunlight continuously shines into the living room from dawn till dusk,” said the design team.

The living room is located on the upper floor, with a guest bedroom positioned underneath. A wooden staircase runs along the edge of the two rooms, following the outline of the hexagon.

“The existence of this hexagonal structure works as a strong element to categorise the function, structure and design of the entire house,” added the designers.

A six-sided ceiling angles up into a central point and is framed by wooden beams that have been painted grey-blue.

This colour recurs throughout the house, from walls and doors to kitchen cabinets, staircase treads and balustrades. It is also used for the exterior walls and roof.

Bedrooms for the parents and children are situated on separate storeys at the front of the house. The kitchen can be found on the first floor and features a ladder leading to a small mezzanine loft.

Photography is by Takumi Ota.

Here’s a project description from Case-Real:

House in Tsurumaki (Tokyo, Japan, 2013)

A detached house standing in the high density residential area in Tokyo.

The site for this project was one of the five subdivided areas with the north side facing the street, and the other three sides neighbouring the other houses. Within these difficult circumstances the client wished for a living room on the south side full of sun light.

The core of this residential housing is the hexagon volume on the southern side of the site. This shape resulted in a plan where sunlight continuously shines into the living room from dawn till dusk.

Creating a minimum parking space needed for a compact car and by sliding the volume of the structure to the north as far as possible, we were able to keep a planting ground and to efficiently let light into the room.

For the plan of each floor and its traffic lines, the roof and the beam which can be seen at the ceiling of the 2nd floor, the existence of this hexagonal structure works as a strong element to categorise the function, structure and design of the entire house.

Design: Koichi Futatusmata, Yasushi Arikawa (CASE-REAL)
Structural Engineer: Hirofumi Ohno (Ohno Japan)
Design Cooperation, Construction: Yoshida building firm
Lighting Plan: Tatsuki Nakamura (BRANCH lighting design)Location: Tokyo, Japan

Type of Project: Newly build
Use: Residence
Period: Jun 2012 – Jun 2013

Structure: Wood frame
Scale: 2 storey
Building area: 61.2 sqm
Site area: 123 sqm

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living room by Case-Real appeared first on Dezeen.

Situé dans le quartier de Setagaya-ku à Tokyo, ce Cafe Ki au design épuré a été pensé par les équipes du studio de design japonais Id. De superbes espaces blancs, proposant en son sein des portes-manteaux noirs ressemblant à des arbres. Plus d’images de ce projet dans la suite de l’article