'house shazai' by nevertheless/yusuke sagawa mediates between opposing scales in japan

led by yusuke sagawa, architecture office nevertheless has completed ‘house shazai’, a family residence in fukushima, japan, that mediates between opposing scales, structures and façades. on the outside, a two-story terrace sits at the boundary between the building and the garden, enclosed with wooden columns and braces. inside, tiny windows between interior walls allow small rays of sunlight to penetrate the main living space from other rooms.

all images by yosuke harada

located in iwaki city, a residential area just a few minutes’ walk to the sea, ‘house shazai’ is developed as a place for the to family to gather and children to play. nevertheless / yusuke sagawa architects placed the building to the north side of the site, creating a garden on the south side where the two-story terrace is located. by enclosing the terrace with columns and braces, the structure serves as a screen while remaining open.

the exterior of the building is made up of braced shinkabe walls (walls with exposed columns), covered with clear painted lauan plywood. at the same time, ookabe walls clad the interior, finished with white wallpaper. all rooms have white walls and are supported by wooden frame structures, while the ceiling is exposed to reveal the sloped roof, under which the loft is located. the ground level encloses all common areas, while the upper floor houses the private rooms. through tiny windows, small rays of sunlight penetrate into the living room from each bedroom.

‘in this house, we tried to create spaces that play with the idea of duality, mediating between opposing elements and concepts such as lines and surfaces, varying scales, structures and façades, light and shadow, and demolition and construction,’ yusuke sagawa explains. ‘we hope that these contradictions in space will be a place where the inhabitants can experience new insights and create fresh perspectives and relationships.’

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project info:

name: house shazai

architect: nevertheless / yusuke sagawa architects

lead architect: yusuke sagawa

structural engineer: yoshiharu kanebako 

location: fukushima, japan

site area:  197.78 m2

building area: 66.25 m2