House in Oriono

The clients, a young couple, wanted a house where their grandchildren could come and play. A desire that is severe with sons, but sweet with grandchildren. Life spins, and building a house is a serious matter. The F-shaped plan is due to the peculiar geometry of the site. The vertical line of the “F” contains the living-dining room and the kitchen on the first floor, and on the second floor the bedrooms. From both floors, looking south it’s possible to enjoy the view of the inner garden, that is also enclosed by one-story horizontal lines of the “F”, where the wet area and the tatami room or washitsu. are situated. The design of the washitsu has been treated with great care, since the clients consider to live there in the future. The washing machine room, located in the wet area and facing southwest (since the south exposition is optimal also for washed clothes), was expressly requested by the wife, who suffers of hay fever. In order to make room for it, the opening of the living-dining room has been slightly reduced. Toplight have been inserted so that clothes can be dried also during rainy weather. On the side of environmental issues, the protection from solar radiation during summer has become extremely important. In Osaka, at summer solstice sun’s rays has an angle of about 79 degrees and 32 degrees at winter solstice. Eaves have been designed in order to not obstruct winter sun’s rays. A house friendly with the environment is possible if with use the right method. The garden is surrounded by a wooden veranda or engawa. Children like to play here, in this place tied with the interior. In the future, when clients will become grandparents, from the dining room or the washitsu they will look after their grandchildren, running around this very engawa. This is our job, sketching the scenery where happiness can happen.