yokohama-based practice takeshi hosaka architects has shared with us images of ‘outside in’, a single-storey private dwelling for a couple and their three children in yamanashi, japan. situated adjacent to a number of farming fields and a wooded plot to the south, the house seeks to create a subtle gradation from outdoors to indoors, integrating the presence of nature into the living space.
exterior view
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc. (also main image)
largely undeveloped and lush, the site is home to a great collection of wildlife including pheasants, peafowl and the occasional raccoon dogs. the clients wished for a dwelling that would be porous to the sounds and elements of nature, softly dissolving the spatial boundary between the interior and exterior. the south facade features a collapsible transparent surface that can be completely opened to the woods beyond. interspersedly planted with small trees and shrubs, the partially-sheltered garden space projects natural characteristics of the site into the compounds of the private dwelling.
roof form
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
side elevation
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
south facade – open
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
south facade – closed
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
working to engage with the outdoors in a vertical motion as well as the horizontal, the design utilizes a sawtoothed roof form with strips of acrylic roof lights that secure views of the sky above. the reinforced concrete V beams funnel natural sunlight into the interior, shifting the atmosphere of the house throughout the day. conceived as a series of layers that gradually add more ‘indoor’ elements, the rectangular layout places the private programs such as the bathroom and bedrooms to the north and communal spaces to the south. different materiality in surfaces softly establishes the changing levels of ‘outdoors’ throughout the residence.
garden space
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
view of garden from living space
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
interior view
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
view of kitchen
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
between the living space and children’s room
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
skylight
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
garden at night
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
from street
image © koji fujii / nacasa&partners inc.
project info:
site: 174.48 m2
building area: 102.14 m2
building height: 3.400 m
structural engineers: hirofumi ohno
