The site was deep from north to south when viewed from the road side, with buildings on both sides, and was basically a closed-off dead end. On the other hand, looking out from inside the site, there was generous visibility and light due to the urbanization control zone bordered by the road on the south side. Combined with the slight difference in elevation between the site and the road, I felt as if the fields in the near distance and the mountains of Iyo in the far distance were strongly connected to each other.
Manufacturers / Products (house in inari)
Roof | Galvalume (Yodogawa Steel Works, Ltd.)
Exterior wall | yellow ceder (Kyoei Lumber inc.)
Ceiling | douglas fir (Kyoei Lumber inc.)
Floor | larch (Kyoei Lumber inc.)
interior wall |Japanese Sikkui (Stucco mixed with sand)
With such a clear directionality of the site, it seemed very simple and obvious what kind of life and light should be included in the architecture. Rather than trying to solve some disadvantageous situation with the power of architecture, I thought that the key to this site was how much we could incorporate the characteristics of the site in a straightforward manner.
The garden along the street, the approach garden, and the living room garden provide a sequence of connections between the city and the architecture. In terms of light, I hoped to create a gradual connection between the brightness of the mountains in the distance and the light necessary for human life by including a range of light from “light” to “dark” in the architecture.
The house is a kind of protected place reminiscent of a cave, where people can enjoy the light reaching them from afar, and live in connection with the city. I hope that the house will serve as a receptacle for such a family.
