House in Sajima (Kanagawa, Japan)
Design 2012, unexecuted
Sajima is a small town located along the Japan sea coast of Kanagawa prefecture and a popular recreation retreat for people fleeing the buss of metropolitan Tokyo. It is here that the client hoped to build a second house for refreshing weekends surfing.
The site for this small house of only 75 m2 for a family of four is located just uphill several hundreds of meters from the sea shore. Accessed through a 4 meter wide street leading upwards to a level that allows wide views across the ocean. This quality of this 100m2 site as well as its unusual shape determined the concept of our design.
To take best advantage of these aspects the design absorbs in the first place the different angles imbedded in the site. These were used to create an interesting composition of two volumes; one a sort of topped off pitched roof like shape finished in slate, that sits in front of a white plastered volume that works as a backdrop.
This pyramidal roof form reflects the special quality of an attic and it is this effect that we wanted to recreate. As if someone who has taken off his hat, the roof seems to have been placed casually in front to the house rather than on top of it. This volume contains the sleeping areas separated by sliding doors and fitted with traditional tatami mats. All sliding doors opened allows for the creation of one large space.
Overhead is a low ceiling loft to be used as play space for the children and the roof is designed as a terrace to enjoy those great panoramic views across the ocean.
By lifting the pyramidal volume up, an area resulted that was of suitable size for a covered parking area and entrance. Practical for loading off surfboards and directly access the storage even on a rainy day or in the shade on a hot summer day. This covered square can just as well be used to do maintenance on the surf boards or have a leisurely gathering with BBQ.
The second white volume that composes off the house, works as a datum to this roof shaped, and contains the entrance, half a floor up the bathroom easily accessible for an after surfing shower, and on the top floor the kitchen dining and living areas. Also in this volume on the top floor is a large south facing terrace that extends the living and dining area when the glazed sliding doors are opened. All these spaces are connected through a central void with the stairs, intertwining the different zones by making use of a split level configuration. The routing through the house is delineated by this split level configuration of the stairs, guiding people upwards towards the well-lit top floor and have one pass through the different habitable zones. Through this design strategy, ever changing spatial experiences are created and the volumes and spaces of the house are connected lending to their configuration a logical organization.
There was another good reason to go for such a scheme other than spatial interest. To satisfy the Japanese building code and to keep cost in check a wooden structure was the most cost effective choice. Also to satisfy the regulation, the house has two stories only, but shifts in the sections and the split level configuration between the two volumes achieves the feel of a three storied house. The idea was to use the less strict requirements for fire-resistance, applicable to two story houses, while creating a three story house. A strategy that would keep both construction cost in check as well as ease application procedures.
Location:
Sajima, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Principal use: Private Holiday Residence
Site area: 100.34m2
Building area: 53.31m2
Total floor area: 75.25m2
Architectural Design: Frank la Rivière Architects inc
Frank la Rivière, with Ryu Kanari and Kousuke Arikumi