#RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
KOYA no SUMIKA
Architects Atsushi and Mayumi Kawamoto of the Shizuoka-based firm mA-style designed this residence for a young couple. The structure adjoins an existing traditional home built in the irimoya-zukuri style
When designing the new home, the Kawamotos say they took care to avoid the common pitfall of isolating the main house and creating unwanted distance in family relationships, and instead forged a gentle, two-way relationship between the two structures. At the same time, the simple new home includes the bare essentials for living, allowing the younger generation to enjoy an independent life.
Please give us an overview of the project.
This is a home for a young couple built adjoining an existing residence. The large, single-story original structure measures around 200 square meters and is in the typical rural style called irimoya-zukuri. Stepping into the entryway reveals a series of adjoining rooms and a wide veranda, with rooms set around a core of large spaces intended for entertaining. The couple felt this existing structure would not adapt well to the diverse lifestyle they envisioned for the future. They requested a more comfortable, laid-back space.
What was most important for you during the design process?
Additions which fully divide one living area from another permit the people on either side to draw a clear boundary between them, but there is a chance family relationships or existing links to the main house will die away. In designing this addition we thought about coexistince. The original house retains its primacy, with the addition playing a supporting role and not filling all functions on its own. At the same time a sense of distance exists, allowing for a rich relationship to be maintained without stress.
What challenges did you face in the project? How did you respond to them?
With features such as a large kitchen and bath and space for future children’s rooms provided by the main house, the addition had fewer functions to fulfill. Our goal was to design a space that, through the architectural scale and the use of openness, created a rich environment that fed the imagination of its inhabitants and also left margins for residents of both houses to fill together. First, we built two-meter-high u-shaped bearing walls that contain various living spaces, and alternated these with windows and doors. Above this we placed a framework of inverted V-beams made from SPF lumber covered on both sides with structural plywood, and topped this with a gable roof. The result is a clean, shed-like space. The series of V-shaped beams suggests the division of living space below, and as they overlap and alternate in texture with the bearing walls below they create an environment full of contrast. The single-story structure contains a range of heights and scales, as well as intersecting pathways of light, air, and sightlines, which together set the stage for daily life.
What did you learn from this project? What will you take from it to future projects?
In designing an addition that coexists with the main house, we were using spatial expression as a means of planning the condition of the multigenerational household, as well as the degree of connection and distance in the relationships over time. The project taught us the importance of drawing out the potential for the house to continue developing in a universal way.
What is the societal role of the architect?
The meaningfulness of the architect’s work for society is under question. Today, as we live within the influences of our times, the critical role of the architect is not to generate rational structures rooted in economics or policy, but rather to create spaces for daily life that appeal to individual sensibilities, and to communicate the condition of residential and landscape architecture from the individual to the community.
