Create a scenery of memories

 

This is a project for a single-family house built on terraced fields. The site is located in an orange orchard with a panoramic view of the Ariake Sea and Mount Unzen, and is rich in nature and above all has a beautiful landscape. In this environment that is expected to continue unchanged in the future, it seems a little selfish to focus on simply living there. With this in mind, we started the design of this project with harmony with the surrounding environment as the axis. We aim to make this house a part of the beautiful landscape by not unilaterally incorporating it, but by being close to it.

 

This house follows the shape of the surrounding terraced fields and is made up of a combination of multiple volumes of different sizes. By deciding the layout while taking into consideration the relationship with the road and neighboring land, we ensured a view from each room while maintaining privacy. One of these volumes includes a spacious deck terrace. Sometimes it serves as an outdoor living room and sometimes as an observation deck, and plays a role in connecting the surrounding environment with the family's daily life.

 

In addition, for the main exterior walls, the ceilings leading to the interior, and the finish of the deck, we used "Oguni cedar," a material produced in Kumamoto, with the assumption that it will change over time. By using natural materials that change their appearance over time, we were conscious of gradually blending into the surroundings.

 

Inside, the living/dining/kitchen area, which is a place for family gatherings, is placed in the center, and by making it into one space including the adjacent Japanese-style room, we ensured that the area is as large as possible. In addition, by unifying the ceiling height of each room and not installing descending walls along the traffic lines, we created a plan that ensures an uninterrupted continuity between the inside and outside.

 

Just like nature, we accept change and find it beautiful. We believe that incorporating such generous thinking into a home is desirable not only for the family living there, but also for the environment. We hope that the series of scenes that were born from this will one day become a cherished landscape that will remain in people's hearts. (Tatsuya Fuchigami)

 

Photograph: zeal architects