施主からの強い要望は、「全ての部屋を南向きにしたい」でした。この地の冬の寒さを身に染みて知る人たちの南向き住宅への希求は、私たち東京に住むものと比べようもないくらい強かったのです。

敷地の法的な制限は緩く、単純にボリュームを垂直に積み重ねて、全ての部屋を南向きにすることもできたのですが、それぞれの部屋にいる家族のつながりが弱くなってしまうこと、木造2階建の民家が建つ周辺環境に対して威圧的なボリュームになると考えました。そこで、少しずつ重なりを持ちながらボリュームを階段状にセットバックする構成としました。下の段からリビングルーム、ギャラリー/リフレッシュコーナー、子供部屋(寝室)と上に行くに従ってより私的な空間になっていきます。階段状のボリュームの下にできた空間は水廻りなどのサーバントスペースとして使っています。

リビングルームと寝室をつなぐギャラリーは、廊下の機能を満たす幅さえあればよかったのですが、敢えて膨らみをもたせたり、ベンチのようにも使える階段を設えたりすることで、いろいろな居場所をつくっています。更にギャラリーはホビールームや外部空間のテラスと結びつき、家の中の全てのアクティビティが顔を出す、街中の通りのような雰囲気を持っています。

リビングと個室というように2極化されたスペースだけでなく、中間帯(まさに帯状のスペースとなっていますが)をつくることで、家の中の家族の関わり方が、単調でなく、多様で豊かなものになることを意図しています。

所在地 山梨県
構造設計 オーノJAPAN
照明デザイン LIGHTDESIGN
敷地面積 646.17 m2
建築面積 137.71 m2
延床面積 265.48 m2
竣工年 2014
撮影 阿野太一

雑誌掲載
モダンリビング 2015年5月号


The client’s main request was that all rooms be oriented to the south.
Kai city, located in central Japan in the Kofu basin, experiences very harsh winters.

Compared to Tokyo, the residents in the area have a considerably greater desire to have rooms facing the south toward the sun, because of the cold climate. The site regulations allow for all rooms to be stacked vertically building a three-story house. However, we did not think it to be the best solution as the separate floors would have weakened the spatial and thus familial relations which would be unfavorable considering the family has two small children. We also wanted to make a coercive volume without towering over all the surrounding two-story houses. We wanted to keep a horizontal relationship with the neighborhood as well as within the home.

Thus, we designed the volume as a terraced shape in which all rooms face south and maintain horizontal connections between floors. The volume consists of, from the lower level, a living room connected to the front yard, a gallery space/refreshing space, and bedrooms. The higher the floor is, the more private. Washrooms, storage spaces, and the back-of-house are all located under the terraced volume.

Our main goal here was not to separate the house into living rooms and bedrooms, but rather to create intermediate spaces where each member of the family can enjoy their own time, and at the same time, have a feeling of closeness. We believe this enables diversity and richness for family life.

Such a space is demonstrated by the gallery/refreshing space. We designed wide corridors as opposed to narrow ones to be used as intermediate spaces. To emphasize our intentions, we indented parts of the corridor to create small spaces as dens for the children, and steps that also function as benches.

The gallery, by being connected to the hobby room and terrace, also plays the role of an interior street where all activities in the house or of the family flow through.

Structurally made of 100x100mm solid steel columns, most of them are equidistant from each other while some are placed wider apart. In order to be able to place them wider apart, it was necessary to use these solid steel beams as opposed to I-beams or hollow steel beams. This dimension is almost equal to wooden timber columns which are commonly found in traditional single houses.

Location Yamanashi, JAPAN
Structural Engineer Ohno JAPAN
Lighting Designer LIGHTDESIGN
Site Area 646.17 m2
Building Area 137.71 m2
Floor Area 265.48 m2
Completion Year 2014
Photographs Daici Ano