Shell House | Tono Mirai architects

CONCEPT
- Small earth house with local wood, clay and traditional techniques in contemporary environment performance. - 

It is a small villa in the forest of Nagano Pref. located center of Japan.

A client's request that "architecture that is unusual, beautiful, and does not make you feel old in time" and strict condition of the retreat line by the landscape regulation and the building volume ratio of 20% of 290M2 site were design requirements.

Following that, close the north / west side that lots of passengers, a waterway flows, and a large opening to take in sunlight and heat. Think about the organic shape of "totally blend into the surrounding forest" which it has on the east and south side. To be a model of house less environmental impact, with local FSC wood, earth and people's hands without petrochemical materials.

All the interior rooms are finished with local earth and wood. The earth wall of the curved surface gently stretches across the whole. When drawing in the southeast wooden fittings, it becomes integrated with the forest through the wood deck.

On the first floor, change with a stepped up, with sanitary and restroom in the back of continuous wooden doors.

This house is designed according to passive design. Outside wall, roof and ceiling average heat transmission coefficient UA = 0.49. (W/m2K), Japanese environmental assessment CASBEE S ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ and satisfying the primary energy consumption standards in Japan reduction of 11%. The earth wall is combined with 180 mm wool insulation U = 0.207 (W/m 2 K).

Seven beams born from the organic earth wall are expressed the cycle of life of the human and universe. And the two inscribed circles represent the correspondence of them.

It is the architecture talk to human born from and return to Earth.