© Toshiyuki Yano
- Architects: Kenta Eto Architects
- Location: Usuki, Japan
- Structural Design: Yousuke Kimura
- Area: 98.12 m2
- Project Year: 2018
- Photographs: Toshiyuki Yano
© Toshiyuki Yano
Text description provided by the architects. The site is located on the rolling hills of Usuki-city in Oita Prefecture.
In the vicinity, there are scattered fields and houses, and the landscape of mountainous terrain of about 600 meters high continues on the south side. In the conception process, I thought to make use of “difference in level / viewpoint of environment / topography” going down from the mountains in the south to the plain, rising again from the plain to the north side hill where the site is located.In addition, I thought about the shape that the building volume does not disturb the beautiful landscape that spreads all four points of the compass, and the shape that is on the extension of the environment and topography.
© Toshiyuki Yano
Section
© Toshiyuki Yano
The building appears as a slope that is neither a roof nor a wall.A slope of gradient 4.5 / 10 (about 24 degrees) allows a person to climb directly from the ground line (GL). You can feel the viewpoint of the level difference with a sense of movement different from the stair space, and also climb up slowly and move around in the external environment and the landscape, at the same time in the XY direction from the GL. In addition, it allows you to sit or lie down on the bank to watch and appreciate the pastoral scenery of mountains, plains, and starry skies; it will be a privilege that only this home has that lets you experience the big “phenomenon scale” dynamically by the natural environment such as change of seasons and weather.
© Toshiyuki Yano
In the interior, kitchen, living room, master bedroom, and wet area are concentrated on the first floor, and hobby room and kids’ room are arranged on the second floor. The southern edge where the bank goes down has a large opening, connects the inside and the outside as an intermediate space of the courtyard and the space under the eaves, blending the human scale and the environmental scale.
© Toshiyuki Yano
Plan
© Toshiyuki Yano
As for the structure, adopting the conventional post and beam structure method as the main part, and using SPF to appear continuously in the beam in the compartment, express slope, and the diagonal material aesthetically and structurally.
© Toshiyuki Yano