WORKS
PRIVATERESIDENCES
Nakaniwa no Ie (“Courtyard House”)
Owing to its location in a commercial area, this home welcomes great opportunities to serve as a venue for entertainment.
Beyond the hustle and bustle of its surroundings, accessed via an alley-like space that evokes memories of a distant ancient city leading to a courtyard, there lies an extraordinary world. Upon entering the front door, a doma earthen floor space is situated between a hanare (“detached house”)-like Japanese-style tatamiroom and a living room space.
Rooms are arranged around the courtyard, creating a unique outdoor space where one can have intimate encounters with nature in daily life. Upstairs is a second living room that center on children’s activities and interactions. On the west side of the house is a tsuboniwa (small courtyard garden), which gives tranquility to the individual spaces such as the bathroom and study.
Along with its architectural appeal, this house also satisfies building codes as a grade-III earthquake-resistant house that is ZEH compliant, rendering it a type of next-generation habitation.
English translation by Norie Lynn Fukuda (DMA)
photo : Toshihiro Sobajima
2019/saitama