In converting this Ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn), in the mountainous holiday retreat area of Yugawara, outside Tokyo, we were inspired by the beautiful surrounding landscape of forest and rivers, and the esteemed traditions of Japanese crafts. We sought to combine richly textured natural materials with traditional Japanese crafts and patterning, to create a fusion and layering of these two elements, and form a beautiful contrast.
A weekend house facing to the Sagami Bay with view to Mt. Fuji and Enoshima. The site is just 3 x 8m with 60% of footprint, and the building has become 3-stories almost automatically because the ground floor had to be a piloti by consideration of the storm surge.
Charred wooden planks wrap the exterior of the ‘House in Shiroyama’ by Japanese practice Araki + Sasaki architects (A+Sa), differentiating it from its neighbors in the suburban area. The two-story wood-frame construction takes on the shape of a regular square, characterized on the inside by the exposed natural plywood textures and surfaces and open spaces that expose the true scale of the structure from the social areas on the ground floor. The pitched roof gently rises on each side equally until reaching a square skylight that forms a structural ring allowing natural light to illuminate the entire interior. The construction was approached from a DIY technique, using standard member sizes and connections to allow for easy future expansion and a rational structural grid. The knots of the plywood filled and polished with epoxy resin. The ground level contains the kitchen and dining areas on an elevated wooden platform, with a private bathroom and bedroom. The wooden beams that hold up the loft level floorboards are left uncovered allowing a direct visual connection. A staircase at the entrance connects to the partial second story that can be used as a living or working space.
A single-family residence located in a typical residential area, where two-story wooden houses are densely built. In order to obtain fine living environment while giving a minimum impact on the surroundings, we proposed a plan in which three volumes of the bedroom with the opening turned for the south are pulling out from the roof level as if they were a set of periscopes.
Located in only about a five-minute walking distance from the railroad station, this house sits in a commercial/residential zone. As such, the neighboring houses and shops encroach upon the site rather closely, so much so that from the start the idea to “look out” from the property was abandoned to instead “look inward” was adopted. Since the client-owner had a vast amount of art collection and wished to display such art in the new house, the theme “House like a Museum” became the design generator.
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