Eco Living Japan. Deanna MacDonald

architect, Mikio Tai, founder of architect café, took inspiration from the Japanese engawa (see page 80), an intermediary corridor-like space between house and garden in traditional Shoin architecture, to explore how the house would interact with its surroundings in all four seasons. As the architect explained: “Though the area has many green and vacant spaces, most buildings are closely packed,” leaving little space for green. In order to bring a sense of nature into the daily life of the house, he aimed to “create a new relationship between inside and outside”.

      The house plot, at 257 square meters, is relatively large for Tokyo. Land is expensive in Tokyo and thus most builders try to use every centimeter of ground permitted by law to build the biggest house possible. The House in Komae’s design bucked this trend and instead offered a multi-part house plan occupying less that half of the site (only 101 square meters), leaving the rest of the land for trees, garden and exterior courtyards. The result is a unique two-story home with 154.66 square meters of living space and green views from every room.

      Clad in red cedar, the house is composed of four boxes of different sizes and functions that are connected to each other by ancillary corridors, exterior courtyards and a long garden along the east side of the house. The layout is designed to ensure all spaces open to courtyards and/or gardens.

      The largest of four boxes connected by corridors, courtyards and gardens.

      The double-height living/kitchen/dining area opens onto an inner courtyard.

      The first box is a single-level garage, which faces the street. Next to it, a freestanding cedar wall discreetly shields the flagstone path that leads to the main entrance at the side of the second box. This extra high single-level structure is where guests are greeted and shoes and coats are removed. A short glass corridor leads along a courtyard into the largest two-story volume, containing the heart of the house: a double-height living/kitchen/dining area with stairs leading up to a loft-like balcony and a small bedroom. Broad glazed openings on both levels overlook the courtyard. The final box holds three bedrooms. The ground floor contains the master bedroom and bathroom and there are two bedrooms above. Corridors connect both levels to the main building.

      The interior employs a pale Japanese ash wood for floors, storage units and some ceilings, creating a contrast with the dark reddish cedar exterior. Flat roofs are covered with gravel, which acts as natural insulation and echoes the gravel used in the gardens. The gardens and several mature trees on the site offer welcome shade in summer and allow more light into the house in winter.

      The life of the house can take place inside or out depending on season and weather but will always have some connection to its natural surroundings. “This,” said the architect, “is part of the sustainable spirit of Japanese architecture.”

      ECO MATERIALS

      SMALL FOOTPRINT

      DESIGN ADDS GREENERY

      TRADITIONAL GREEN DESIGN

      Engawa-inspired corridors link interior spaces and visually connect the inside and outside.