House in Nara-Zaka | Yoshiaki Yamashita

The site is located near the Todaiji Temple near Nara. The location is on a hill with a great view. It is situated on the slopes.This is the home for a couple without children.

This house has two-stories with a basement. The underground structure is RC, and the structure of ground floor is of steel frame. The underground space is the area for the husband to enjoy his hobby of oil painting.

On the first floor there is a bedroom and utility room for his wife. The second floor has a kitchen,dining,living room and bathroom. The view from the second floor is also great. There is also a roof terrace with a view.

A white wall facade was put in place for privacy. But we have lightly raised the roof so it doesn't seem to be too enclosed.

We have also considered the structure so as not to impair the view. We provided a thin pillar on the great view side and we provided a frame to withstand the earthquakes on the opposite side with a panoramic view.

The dimensions of the iron pillars in the corner of the living room are 75mm × 75mm.

We have also considered environment.

The crushed stone under the floor of the basement is warmed by the midnight power, it warms the building frame without using electric power in the daytime.The dry area serves as moisture protection underground and generates cool air in the summer.

We considered sending this cold air to the second floor by a simple fan in order to mitigate the heat of the roof directly under. And we provided a rainwater pit so that it can be used in the kitchen garden.

They couple was retired at the time of the completion of this house. We hope that they will enjoy the rest of their life in this house.