ryuichi ashizawa sets spiral family house with roof garden on awaji island in japan

 ryuichi ashizawa architect & associates has created a residence for a family of four, located within the awaji island, in hyogo, japan. the clients requested ‘a house that grows along with the family‘, prompting the architects to re-think the concept of the ideal living space.

site view

all images by kaori ichikawa

house backyard

at the core of the house is a space, called ‘niha’, with a diameter of about 2.4m and a height of 7.5m. during the day, sunlight seeps through the skylight on top of the niha, while at night darkness sets, as there are no lights installed. when opened, the skylight also functions as a tunnel to which the wind ascends from the ground. as it is unassigned to a pre-defined function, the center of the house is used for miscellaneous activities, be it meditation or gathering with friends. niha’s unconventional form is a nod to awaji island’s local timber-constructed houses, clad in earth.

night view of house exterior

to support the roof, timber beams follow the spiral and ‘radiate’ from the central space, exposed in the interior. every part of the timber construction was hand-carved by carpenters. the interior wall was finished with awaji island’s earth on top of interwoven lattice of bamboo collected around the site. the outer wall was scraped with a finishing of soil and mortar, while the floor was finished with tataki technique, allowing the interior to store heat and control humidity.

during construction

the roof is planned as a spiral garden, with the ground rises towards the sky. the spiral roof offers varying sunlight exposure, height and humidity, hence able to support plants with diverse growth requirements. when it rains, the roof garden is soaked while rainwater flows towards the pond. in the summer, incoming wind will be cooled by the pond before it enters the house. by introducing natural phenomena as inseparable parts of the house, the family will be one with nature, living in a house where the earth and trees grow.

entrance to the bedroom

corridor

living and dining room adjacent to the central space

passive room

latitudinous room

skylight above the central space

floor plans

sectional prespective

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edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom