adjacent to a residence in kyoto city, kenzo makino & associates have transformed a private parking space into an enclosed japanese courtyard garden. the project alters the whole appearance of the structure, forming an appealing entrance for the pre-existing dwelling.

enclosed fence in kyoto from kenzo makino associates puts the residences living environment together 7
all images courtesy of kenzo makino & associates 

 

 

kenzo makino & associates has planned a square-shaped enclosure with latticed sliding doors, seeking to give a different character to the interior and the exterior of the garden. inside the fence, occupants can arrange a ‘tsubo-niwa’ style garden, while the outside serves to keep the space neat and tidy. items such as bicycles, outdoor units, and cleaning tools, that are necessary but not compatible with the beauty of the garden, can be stored behind the wooden screens, while still being easily accessible for everyday use.

enclosed fence in kyoto from kenzo makino associates puts the residences living environment together 5

 

 

adopting the size of a roof ridge cap, eaves protrude from the entirety of the squared fence. made of a seamless sheet of galvanized steel, they help keep the water away from the wooden lattice. when observed from the street, the fence appears like a small building and the eaves almost resemble a roof. the wooden structure softens the image of the house front, and creates a space in which the house, the new and pre-existing fences, the gardens, etc. are interconnected. in this way, without major refurbishment of the building itself, the architects were able to change the quality of the whole living environment. 

enclosed fence in kyoto from kenzo makino associates puts the residences living environment together 4

 

 

in addition to the architectural issues above, the project also emerges as a solution to the conflict between the traditional cityscape of kyoto and its current building regulations. although kyoto is known for its densely settled historical wooden buildings, modern urban fire prevention doesn’t allow wooden gates to exceed 2m in height. here, to create a wooden space with joinery, which is generally difficult in areas with strict fire safety regulations, the height of the fence is kept lower than 2m, so that the design avoids installing additional fireproof sleeve walls.

enclosed fence in kyoto from kenzo makino associates puts the residences living environment together 8

 

 

moreover, each side of the fence has a span of 3.64m, and a 3/10 pitched roof on top. the wood is untreated and non-combustible. in order to satisfy all of these, steel columns and T-beams were chosen to support the structure. are made of steel. in this way, the cross-sectional performance and shape of the beam is matched with the roof efficiently, while the entire installation is kept compact and reasonable. ‘this could be a general solution for similar conditions, as it is normally difficult to realize a wooden fence with a gabled roof within the urban area of kyoto’ the architects share.

enclosed fence in kyoto from kenzo makino associates puts the residences living environment together 6

enclosed fence in kyoto from kenzo makino associates puts the residences living environment together 3enclosed fence in kyoto from kenzo makino associates puts the residences living environment together 2

enclosed fence in kyoto from kenzo makino associates puts the residences living environment together 1

 

project info:

 

name: tsubo-niwa extension
architecture office: kenzo makino & associates
lead architect: kenzo makino
location: kyoto city, japan

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom