The house is a project of Yang Shimada / Tatoakitekutsu and is located at the foot of Mount Hiei, near the border between Kyoto and Shiga.
The client is an artist, who needed an atelier and a home for his family, as well as a place for his parents who he wants close to him in the future.
The architects tell us so their project:
“The site is surrounded by gabled houses which seem to bring a sense of calm to the neighbourhood. As a result, we have developed a project that fits into the surrounding environment of this residential hilly area.
The site was not large enough to accommodate all of the client's needs. Furthermore, we were informed that an atelier can cause noise and odors. Taking these constraints into consideration, we have developed a project in which three independent, cottage-style houses are arranged in such a way that they share the area.
The construction of the atelier was simplified to meet the budget limitation. wood-concrete boards, which serve as fire-resistant thermal insulation, were fixed to the structure, and were then covered with corrugated polycarbonate sheets. The flooring is in exposed concrete. Likewise, the walls and roofs show the structural materials, this allows the artist/client himself to renovate the building according to changing needs. A large opening is created on the north side of the building to provide natural lighting.
In addition, the boards wood-cement can be removed to get the sunlight in various parts of the structure.
The size and arrangement of the windows of the two dwelling houses follow the conventional cottage style proportion, which has the effect of making the houses appear smaller than they are. The ground-level floors of these homes are simply finished with mortar, in order to efficiently transmit heat from the underfloor heating system. Lauan plywood is used for the interior walls, part of which are painted white by the customer himself.
The second floor instead of a vertical wall, a wall was built inclined to obtain the necessary space for the rooms. The wall becomes the roof.”
Photo: Satoshi Shigeta
