Frame House | Kouichi Kimura

The site is located in the community where a rustic landscape stretches out.
It is faced with a walking path with a row of cherry trees and a small stream. In the back runs a highway among the rustic scenery.
We then made a goal to produce dialogues with the scenery in the architectural space which is built in such an environment as described above, and to meet the client’s request for a house where they can live a prosperous life.
The exterior is composed of volumes based on carefully examined proportion, window layout, and materials. The overhanging cantilever which gives some impression to the exterior is effectively used as an eaves for an approach to the entrance or a parking lot.
The entrance hall with a low ceiling is a flexible space that can also be used for the client’s shop.
The tranquil view and light from the limited opening area produce comfortableness which is unique to this space, inducing communication.
The 2nd floor centers on the one-room living-dining connected with each space, providing a circulatory floor plan. In addition, a variety of ceiling heights allow the space to be recognized as a three-dimensional volume.
I also placed an importance on producing light and opening. The light from the skylight at the staircase clearly highlights the step edges. It is also changed into various forms that are reflected onto a metal wall.
The living dining room with bright light has a coved ceiling which provides gradation of gentle light. The manipulated lights are introduced in the architectural space to characterize each room.
The look of framed scenery and sky is produced with a furnished bench or dining table, transforming ordinary scenes into unusual ones.
To live with the surrounding environment, it is important to clearly image what kind of scenes you will view and what you will spend your time on.
By interpreting environment and introducing it in architecture, you will achieve new findings and fulfillment in the scenery which you have ever taken for granted.