house in nakamachi plays with sunlight through reversible and sliding wooden shutters

House in nakamachi by Motoki Ishikawa architects

Motoki Ishikawa and his architectural team toy with natural light for their cube house in the Nakamachi district in Japan. The box-shaped exterior lures in passersby with its lush earth color, but more so through its rectangular wooden window blinders that double as a sliding door.

Guests may flip the individual shutter which affects the way sunlight infiltrates the interior of the residence. To allow entrance and passage of airflow, they may slide the wooden door to the side, giving visitors ample space to be ushered into the house and bring an abundance of sights and air with them.

The cube house is located along the Kokubunji cliff line called ‘Hake’ whose streets seem to enjoy varying road elevations. Neighboring houses envelop the cube house in Nakamachi, creating a sense of secure community. From this concept, the architectural team draws from the idea of openness and privacy, hence unraveling the window slash door wooden blinders.

images courtesy of Motoki Ishikawa Architects | photos by Masao Nishikawa

Light gradually changes from first to second floor

The cube house in Nakamachi by Motoki Ishikawa Architects comes through a modest, conventional wooden structure that expands inside. The interior moves in progression as guests first enter a low-volume space before the room enlarges, nodding its intentional feature to the minimal use of furniture and the evident use of skylight that takes up almost all of the roof areas.

The grid-based plan incorporates the positions of immediate areas such as the receiving area which greets visitors right by the entrance, the position of landscape-esque windows, and the flow of light and air that allow circulation throughout the interior and exterior. Walking up to the second floor, the area clearly captures the gradation of light due to changes in height and orientation, while the first floor is private and receives subdued light.

These changes in light and shadow, combined with the orderliness and continuity of the floorplan, naturally create a sense of ambiguity, ‘as if the outside is inside and the inside is part of the outside,’ the architects describe. The scene directs an appearance of depth despite the home’s modest rectangular form. A humble gardening area dots the heart of the residence, vigorously enjoying the natural light that filters through the skylight above it.

Popping up inside the house, original products that fall somewhere between handmade and industrial craft were dedicated for the cube house in Nakamachi, including the wall, floor, and ceiling materials, and plumbing, furniture, fixtures, lighting, and even additive elements.

‘This allows us to express continuity through the unification of materials without uniformity, and at the same time to match the orderliness of the plan since each product is of the same standard and does not require difficult installation, simplifying the construction process and improving quality,’ the architects say.