House in Wakaura






The site is in the residential quarter that extends to the foot in the Mt.akibasan park located in the east part of the Wakaura bay, Wakayama City. (Wakaura bay: It is one of the eminent scenic sites also in Japan).

The shape of the site is transformed with a center garden inside this narrow lot. The garden is visible from each point of the house, in part, for the use of glass doors and walls. The corridor of glass has added the function of a gallery to exhibit the grandfather's collection. Moreover, the deck extends the use of the outdoors and incorporates it with the indoors as one area. Living spaces have been linked by various scenes without dividing into defined areas or sections.

Japanese cedar and cypress from are used for the main structure, flooring, siding, and the lattice material. (Kumano cedar: It is one of the most eminent cedar brands in Japan.)

The material selection was dictated by the nature of the project, by trying to evolve the construction methods into one with more sustainable roots. One example, was the use of Lauan Plywoods for the ceiling and inner wall surfaces, which is a locally harvested material.

This construction aims to have the living space with very high purity on the material selection and accuracy by following the climate condition in this zone and local carpenter's traditional technology.

Location : Wakayama, Japan
Principal use : Residence
Structure : Wooden
Building area : 1162 sqft
Total floor area : 1431 sqft
Scale : 2F+Penthouse
Photographs by Yutaka Kinumaki



-joel