Detached building in Hirogawa Town, Nara Prefecture

Purpose: Residence
Site: Hirogawa Town, Kitakatsuragi District, Nara Prefecture
Completion: Decr 2023
Construction: Takagishi Construction Co., Ltd.
Interior Substructure Construction and Waterproofing Works: Rakusei Giken Co., Ltd.
Lighting Design: ModuleX
Japanese Paper: Wataru Hatano
Furniture: Akitomo Furniture Manufacturing Studio
Structural Design: Takeshi Kaneko Structural Design Office
Cooperation: Akihiro Tai
Photo: Junichi Usui

The site is located in Kitakatsuragi District, Nara Prefecture, in the most populous town in Nara Prefecture. The plan involves a single-story reinforced concrete annex in a residential area.

Separate from the existing main house, this building serves as a place to entertain guests and facilitate communication. It does not include a bathroom, only minimal water facilities, and minimizes functions that draw from external information and spaces of the residential area. The goal was to create a space where the beauty of light and materials can be experienced.

The structure is designed with wall construction to eliminate beams and columns from the space. A large skylight is placed in the center to allow the light to change throughout the day. The black Taniguchi paper used for the finish gently envelops the light, conveying the various changes in the sky through the seasons and weather.

On the side of the tsuboniwa (small garden), slit openings are planned to introduce natural light reflected off the walls from the floor level.

In recent years, as most communication has shifted to social media and the internet, there is a need for spaces that are the opposite of screen-focused daily life. We created a space that allows for rich communication, different from everyday life, while ensuring privacy in a densely populated residential area.