case design studio: wooden house in rural ueda

‘house in ueda’ by case design studio, ueda, nagano prefecture, japanall images courtesy of case design studio

in the rural town of ueda, where fields of crops still dominate the majority of the landscape, the residence by case design studio stands as oneof the only beacons of contemporary architecture. behind a street-side orchard of pear and peach trees, the orthogonal wooden structureprojects vertically with a contrasting skin of naturally finished  pine and charred timber planks. at the entrance, where large sliding doors openthe living room and kitchento the exterior garden, a void connects the ground floor with the second storey. the horizontal strip window running almost the entire length of the volume emphasizing the horizontality of the immediate site. the layered masses are visually connected in the interior creating several points from which natural light can be reflected off the white walls to every space of the house. the bedroom and officeare located on the second floor, separated by the atrium-like element and a linear hallway along the rear axis, offering the appropriate amountof privacy. from the office one can reach the topmost volume rendered again in a natural timber finish that serves as an additional loft and light well with a large window that brings indirect light inside.

view from the adjacent fields

entrance

front porch and yard

sitting area with sliding glass doors

(left) stairs to the upper level(right) darkened wood carried through on the floor planks

upstairs with view to the entrance foyer

view from the bedroom

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1  

project info:

location: ueda naganoprogram: housefamily: couple, child for one personsite area: 172 m (52.0T)gross floor area: 53 m (16.0T)floor space: 86 m (26.0T)scale: 2 storiesstructure: wooden