AE5's kaga house in rural japan displays louvered timber façade

AE5’s kaga house in rural japan displays louvered timber façade
all images © nacasa & partners photography

kaga house designed by AE5 partners is located amongst the rural abundant landscape lined with rice terraces, mountains and a running stream. the residence can be found in a small town called kashiwano-machi in ishkawa, japan where the contemporary look of the house stems from the local climate, the culture and historical context. a distinctive feature of the house is the timber façade which sits behind an old persimmon tree, the wall is made up of wooden louvers arranged at random following the concept of ‘order and the unexpected’. this interesting feature filters bright daylight into the interior and casts interesting shadows; changing seasonally by adding small flares of color and warmth according to the time of day, producing a rich tapestry of color.

an existing persimmon tree grows next to the house

using the town’s traditional architecture as a source of influence, the structure derives from a ‘kura’– a japanese cabin normally used to store rice, this secondary building is seen with every house in the town and aesthetically, this extension fills the gap and distance between neighboring residences whilst increasing privacy for the users. structurally, the house itself has limited doors and windows and the building’s surfaces are measured according to geometric proportions and use of silver ratios, this has resulted in the flat surfaces to be made up of two squares and an isosceles triangle. 

the wooden louvers make up the western façade

a welcoming courtyard to the house

simple and modern furnished interior

the wooden louvers can be seen internally

the house is very well lit by natural daylight

the wooden façade provides a distorted view from the outside but casts interesting shadows

the building’s surfaces are measured according to geometric proportions and use of silver ratios

the building is made up of two squares and an isosceles triangle

the contemporary japanese house sits in its rural surroundings