tato architects organizes house and office in japan with angled walls and internal courtyards

tato architects, led by yo shimada, has renovated a 40-year-old building in hōfu, japan, transforming it into a house and office for a brewing company. the original building has been remodeled to include living spaces as well as an office, warehouse facilities, a shop, and more. ‘the client for this project is the owner of a brewery founded in 1865,’ explains yo shimada. ‘apart from the traditional products soy and miso, the company also work on developing new products using the old techniques refined through the brewery’s history.

’

all images by shinkenchiku sha

while the actual brewing process is located elsewhere, the client wanted to a place for other parts of his business; such as an office, a shop, and a storage space for nationwide distribution of the products. ‘
fortunately, the building for this renovation project was large, so it was possible to create both house and business within the frame of the existing architecture,’ continues shimada, founder of tato architects.

wanting to bring a part of the brewery’s history into the project, the architect clad the outer walls in charred wood sourced from old miso barrels. 
the roof and main structure of the original building was kept intact, with new spaces inserted at 45 degrees against the grid of the existing configuration. ‘the idea of twisting the spaces 45 degrees is to create a more ambiguous feel between the old and new architecture,’ says the japanese architect. ‘it also creates diverse spaces under the eaves and courtyards, like wedged pieces of land between square fields.’

as the building comprises both public as well as residential spaces, the design team chose to organize the functions in accordance with their need for privacy: the warehouse and shop is located to the north facing the road, the office and prototyping room for product development is placed in the center, and furthest back is the client’s private residence. ‘looking from one room, the layers of glass doors and walls create depth and gradation, blurring the boundaries between spaces,’ explains yo shimada.

1/6

 

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

name: house and office in hofu
location: hofu, yamaguchi, japan

type: house /family structure / parents + children
design: tato architects/yo shimada
team: yo shimada, keita kurokoshi 

planting
: COCA-Z tatsuya kokaji
construction: fukumitsu juken/makoto ikeda
structure: main structure, steel
scale: one-story house

site area: 1,230 sqm

building area: 460 sqm

total floor area: 460 sqm
completion
: 2018
photography: shinkenchiku sha