IN studio builds wooden 'cultivatable' house for family of farmers in japan

IN STUDIO has built cultivatable house, a residence in saitama prefecture, japan, focusing on its connection to the surrounding field and local farmland area that are closely tied to the family’s history. using a traditional wooden frame construction, the architects have created a house that is open in multiple directions, and incorporates a loggia equipped with benches, faucets, and power supplies so that the garden as the external space and the building as the internal space can be used equally.images by makoto yoshida, courtesy of IN studio

IN STUDIO has built the residence one and half stories high with few walls inside, and a large span and height with a conventional wooden frame supported by an independent 4-inch column beam. the house comprises a large garden, the loggia, a living and dining area, a study room, as well as the main, children’s, and guest bedrooms, all wrapped in an outer shell of wood and cement. there are four windows on the ground level where residents can enter and exit, and although ‘one of them is assigned to the entrance, children run out of the living room into the garden without wearing shoes, get muddy and take off their clothes, parents take out laundry from their own doors and hang out, etc. and go in and out freely from everywhere,’ explain the architects.

each element in the house has a use and function, and is designed to be modified, including furniture such as storage and desks made of lauan veneer, which can moved to adapt to changing housing conditions. ‘looking over this house, white finishes such as wooden boards, paint, and housing equipment are elements that make this place a house, and brown finishes such as the loggia and indoor independent pillar beams, flooring, and furniture are derived from the land,’ explains IN studio. ‘each element has a use and function, and is designed to be modified. just as land can be cultivated and activated as soil or as land, it is recognized that a house can be viewed as cultivatable.’