'light garden' atriums dot all-white wooden shell in japanese residence

Ha Hosaka Hironobu designed all-white residence

Ha Hosaka Hironobu designed a residence in Aoba Ward, Yokohama City, Japan, creating a harmonious living space filled with light. Initially intended as a reinforced concrete structure, the construction shifted to traditional wood due to budget constraints. The architect aims to eliminate the typical ‘wooden feel’ and achieve an elegant appearance. The site is dotted with eight ‘light gardens’ to direct ample natural light into the adjacent interior spaces. Efforts to minimize the wooden feel include focusing on wall thickness and implementing W walls at strategic points, with openings designed to create a sense of depth. The design places three top lights where functionally necessary, ensuring minimal openings to neighboring properties and maintaining privacy for each room. The facade has a simple and bold design that expresses the uniqueness of the architecture.

all images courtesy of Ha Hosaka Hironobu

house with eight light gardens features minimalist aesthetic

The chosen site features a 6.5-meter-wide road on the northwest side, adjacent to an elementary school, necessitating careful consideration of privacy for the residents. The client, with a keen interest in design, requested from Ha Hosaka Hironobu a clean aesthetic with delicate details. The structural design incorporates steel beams within the wooden framework to create a spatial composition featuring overlapping two-story and three-story atriums at different angles. To maintain minimalist details, the Japanese architect uses bent steel frames for the window sash, removing side and hanging walls to control light flow within the residence. 

initially intended as a reinforced concrete structure, budget constraints shifted the construction to traditional wood

the structure aims to eliminate the typical ‘wooden feel’ and achieve an elegant appearance

eight ‘light gardens’ direct ample natural light into the adjacent interior spaces

efforts to minimize the wooden feel include focusing on wall thickness

openings are designed to create a sense of depth

three top lights are placed where functionally necessary

openings maintain privacy for each room

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the chosen site features a 6.5-meter-wide road on the northwest side

privacy for the residents was carefully considered as the house is next to an elementary school

the client, with a keen interest in design, requested a minimalist aesthetic with delicate details

structural design incorporates steel beams within the wooden framework

two-story and three-story atriums at different angles illuminate the residence

to maintain minimalist details, the Japanese architect uses bent steel frames

side and hanging walls are removed to control light and shadow within the residence

the bathroom features the clean aesthetic of the house

large openings in the atriums fill the space with light

minimal openings draw light inside and ensure privacy

project info:

name: House with 8 Light Gardens
designer: Ha Hosaka Hironobu | @ha_architect_associate
location: Aoba Ward, Yokohama City, Japan

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edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom