td-atelier’s renovation of a japanese guesthouse combines traditional architectural elements with modern interventions. located nearby kyoto’s nijo castle, the townhouse was built 120 years ago in a typical narrow and slender site with five horizontal areas, two of which were disassembled and replaced by ‘voids’.

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
photos by matsumura kohei

 

 

for the refurbishment of the ‘khaki guesthouse’, the architects used the two voids to connect the space vertically while on the other three areas old and new elements coexist. on the entrance door, artist misaki yurina created two abstract paintings, one with an image of a lattice-like grid of kyoto streets and one with a motif of pine leaves from the nijo castle. each room is separated by sliding doors, a traditional element in japanese architecture, while the renovation is completed with a small japanese courtyard on the ground floor and a roof garden.

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
the second floor was disassembled and replaced by a steel bridge

 

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
the stairway uses a toilet box as a landing area, while the left side is an existing japanese-style room

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
the existing roof seems to overlap with new parts

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
in the dining room, the old japanese house and the new architecture are mixing

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
doors between the first and second area with work by artist misaki yurina

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
a newly designed japanese garden

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
the old structure was maintained on top of the guestroom

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
a bridge connects the two guestrooms

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
the roof garden uses a japanese rock garden as a motif

 

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
drawings showing the five areas 

td-atelier refurbishes century-old japanese guesthouse with modern interventions
pictures before the renovation

 

 

project info:

name: khaki guesthouse

design team: tada masaharu and endo shojiro

construction team: fujisaki gumi.co.,ltd.

total floor area: 99.89m2

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom