AARA  – architects atelier ryo abe has renovated a small 50-year-old wooden shed in a green residential area of  kanagawa, japan, into a house & atelier for a couple of three graphic designers and their families. situated in a triangular plot surrounded with bamboo bushes, the residence is built around the main theme of fusing architecture with its lively outline. by obfuscating various boundaries, including that between the neighboring house, inside and outside, workplace and place of residence, it was possible to reopen the framework of the structure as a place that encompasses the garden and surrounding environment.atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings
image © shinkenchiku-sha, all other images © ken shimizu, drawings courtesy of AARA

 

 

‘although it is a small floor space for three families and a cat, I thought that the gentle feeling of commune around this place was the most valuable quality of life for them,’ notes AARA – architects atelier ryo abe. the project is situated on a small triangular plot, where neighboring houses are built without worrying too much about boundaries and live with shared gardens and open spaces. designed for the graphic designers and their families, the house features various terraces and sliding doors that encourages each other’s lifestyles to overlap.

atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings

 

 

the form of the entrance, which also serves as the boundary between the house and the neighborhood, has been blurred, while the studio, which serves as the owner’s workplace, has been placed as a separation through a semi-outdoor entrance. ‘if you open the studio door and the sliding door, you can create a living environment where the house and the workplace are loosely connected,’ explains architects atelier ryo abe. unnecessary elements in terms of functionality and design have been removed, and the skeleton of the existing house has been brought back to life. ‘it is a living space that actively incorporates the surrounding landscape into the history of extension and reconstruction,’ adds the japanese studio.atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings atelier ryo abe renovates japanese wooden shed into house & atelier open to its surroundings

 

 

project info:

 

 

name: shed, tree and lunar

architect: AARA – architects atelier ryo abe

site area: 162.97 m²

built area: 63.40 m²

total floor area: 76.64 m²

first floor: 69.35 m²

second floor: 7.29 m²

location: kanagawa, japan