“Whenever I see the alcove of a tastefully built Japanese room, I marvel at our comprehension of the secrets of shadows…
Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.”
— Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows

Spatial Sequence and Program

The house is placed within the existing terrain, on the footprint of a former building. Rather than reconstructing what was there, the project preserves spatial memory through orientation, continuity, and careful positioning.

A sequence of thresholds defines the domestic experience. One bedroom is located on the lower level, extending into a more intimate zone, while the upper level is conceived as a private, elevated retreat containing sleeping and bathing functions.

Rather than discrete rooms, the house unfolds as a gradient of spatial conditions. Movement through the house is not organized as a corridor but as a sequence of connected states — a continuous transition between exposure and enclosure.

Concept

The ground floor and first floor are not stacked conventionally but shifted, allowing light, air, and landscape to pass through the architecture.

Walls, beams, slabs, and roof planes are treated as independent elements rather than parts of a unified system. They do not merge seamlessly; instead, their relationships remain visible, exposing the logic of construction.

The house resists enclosure. It becomes a refuge not through isolation, but through distance, balance, and controlled openness to the surrounding landscape.

Thresholds & Climate

Architecture is defined less by walls than by thresholds. Deep roof overhangs, recessed openings, and layered envelopes create intermediate zones where interior and exterior overlap.

Environmental comfort emerges from spatial organization rather than technological systems. Cross-ventilation, filtered daylight, and shaded surfaces allow the house to remain permeable and responsive to climate.

Materiality and Structure

Materiality is approached as a process over time rather than a finished state. Timber is used for its warmth, tactility, and resistance, while surfaces are allowed to age, recording exposure and use.

Instead of forming a continuous structural system, elements are placed in relation to one another. Beams appear oversized, slabs are shifted, and structural logic is deliberately exposed.

Load transfer is expressed through clear vertical stacking, avoiding formal smoothing. The structure is not hidden — it is articulated.

The house lightly touches the ground, supported by a minimal number of elements, reducing impact on the site while enhancing spatial clarity.