Architects:Architrip Inc.

Area:58m²

Year:2023

Lead Architects:Syota Kuwana, Ryota Hiraoka

General Contractors:Links Inc.

City:Sukagawa

Country:Japan

Text description provided by the architects. The site is located in the suburbs of Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. The 400 m2 site was spacious enough, and combined with the rich natural environment of the surrounding area, it is a spacious and pleasant place to live. The owners are a family of four, a young couple and their two small children. When we first met them, we sensed a sense of anticipation for their future life and a positive attitude toward creating their own lifestyle. Since we were building a house in a blessed site environment, we proposed a lifestyle in which the richness of the family's life would not be limited to the house, but would extend to the garden as well. We placed all the water facilities in the center of the house and created living spaces that surround the water facilities.

Because there are no dead ends and the space is fluid, children can run around freely and spend their time freely in the house. The continuity of the living space allows the residents to feel the presence of their family members in different places, and the plan facilitates natural communication. We also created an earthen floor and space under the eaves around the house. The earthen floor allows for a walk around the house, and the area where one can sit is like a porch where the family can spend time together. The earthen floor, which is shaped as if it were facing the ground, serves to gently connect the inside and outside of the house.

We wanted to create a house in which the rich environment of the entire site could be incorporated into the daily life of the residents, and in which they could discover a variety of pleasures while living in it. The interior space is designed to be spacious by integrating the attic without a ceiling. The windows facing the earthen floor are made to sweep out, visually creating a sense of continuity and expansion to the outside. The interior space alone is compact at approximately 60 m2, but when the exterior space (earthen floor and space under the eaves) is included, the house is approximately 100 m2 in size. Construction, utility, and maintenance costs change in proportion to the size of the house. The generation that is raising children tends to build large houses, as the family structure changes in the future, we wanted to create a home that is easy to clean and maintain daily, and that will grow in love with the family as they live in it.

The interior of the house is made of wooden frame, and many of the interior walls are covered with lauan plywood to make it easy for the husband, a DIY enthusiast, to make various modifications. Grooves for partitions and curtain rails have been dug in advance at the lower ends of the beams so that the space can be flexibly divided and expanded according to the family's life stage and future changes. We aim to create a home that will grow with the family as it adds color to their lives.

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