Renovation of a 60-year-old private house in the countryside of Nabari.
The client wanted to completely renovate the house to make it more comfortable to live in, so the existing floor plan was significantly changed and a "passage earthen floor" was created to connect the two entrances, one at the front of the house and the other at the back leading to the work area. As this "passageway kawara tiled floor", which is an external finish in Japan, is a space that people often visit in their daily lives, it was conceived as an intermediate area between the inside and outside, between life and work, and between the house and the local area. It is a place where people can walk with their feet with shoes, invite people in, go to work, and face their families, and although it is inside the building, it is an open space with an outward face. To this end, the floor is finished with kawara tile shingles, the veranda is made of naguri boards, the ceiling is as high as possible and a vaulted ceiling is provided, creating an open space that is flooded with light from above, including top lights.
This traditional Japanese-style room in the centre of the house was deep and dark, so all partitions were removed, leaving the structure intact, and the living and dining rooms were made into a single living space that is continuous from the "passageway" to the courtyard. As a contrast to the space of the "passageway" extending upwards, light and scenery are brought in through the side windows overlooking the courtyard, creating a private living space. However, this alone would have made it dark during the day, so the upper part of the side staircase room is made of glass tiles to let in light, transforming it into a bright, contemporary living space despite being a traditional Japanese house.
The client and I shared the desire to create the house by hand with a group of local craftsmen, so we designed the building to make full use of handmade techniques such as tiled floors, plastered walls, wooden fittings, boarded ceilings and wooden lattices.