DOG scales down house topped with traditional tile roof in kawagoe, japan

DOG has been commissioned to renovate and reduce the size of a traditional 50-year-old japanese house in kawagoe, a city northwest of tokyo. too large for two adults to live in, the residence has been scaled down by dismantling the west side of the building (about 1/4 of the whole), leaving behind the framework and the tile roof. as a result, a semi-outdoor space has been created, on the floor of which the architects have applied gravel to create a rock garden. at the same time, reinforced concrete walls have been used to define the boundary between this garden and the house’s interior spaces. all images by nao takahashi

DOG has renovated the traditional house, which originally had no seismic resistance , with only the eastern extension being braced, while its interior was poorly lit. in order to reduce the size of the residence and improve its construction, the tokyo-based architecture studio decided to dismantle the building’s west side, leaving behind only the framework and roof. ‘the japanese roof tiles of this house were quite good, and we felt that the essence of the tiles was effective on the gable-end side,’ says DOG.

as a result, a semi-outdoor space has been formed and finished with gravel on the ground, while reinforced concrete walls define the boundary between this space and the interior. the walls are finished at a height that does not reach the wooden beams of the house, ‘swallowing’ existing wooden pillars and tightening them to make ‘shorter columns’ and perform seismic reinforcement. this reinforced concrete wall extends from the house toward the garden, and also serves as the gate of the shrine on the site.

project info:

name: a new reduction house in kawagoe

architect: DOG

lead architect: ryutaro saito + yuki kojima

location: kawagoe-shi saitama japan

area: 950.99sqm

building area: 123.98sqm

total floor area: 87.67sqm

structural engineer: tetsuya tanaka / tetsuya tanaka structural engineers

builder: FREEDEA