【Background】

This is a renovation project for a 44-year-old apartment. The owner is an enthusiast of weaving wooden basket bags. The owner's requests were to have an earthen floor space that could be used as a studio, to enjoy the views of the river and cityscape from the windows, and to optimize the living space compactly.

To achieve this, we arranged the core living area in a box-like shape at an angle, with the bathroom, bed, closets etc. centralized in the middle. Gaps were left between the existing concrete walls and the core space. These gaps create a trapezoidal floor plan that allows the space to flexibly expand and contract, forming a continuous cloister wrapping around. This enables enjoying the outdoor scenery from any spot in the house and feeling the nature and climate changes.

Instead of compartmentalizing the space by functions, we freely placed furniture to utilize the original spatial features, reading at sunlit spots, and experiencing different living state gradients. The aim was to create a living space where one can feel the seasonal and landscape transformations.

【Highlights】

• A spacious south-side earthen floor space that can serve as a studio, gallery or dining area.

• The corridor provides openness while retaining some concealment, with the deeper space unfolding as one moves.

• Curtains can enclose the built-in bed to become a cave-like resting area.

• The peg walls allow flexible mounting of tools, knick-knacks, clocks, paintings etc.

[Property Overview]

Primary Use: Private residence

Location: Morioka, Iwate Prefecture

Floor Area: 68.40 ㎡

Floors: -

Structure: Reinforced concrete

【Project Team Members】

Architectural Design: NoMaDoS / Naoya  Yoshikawa, Fumi Otosaka, Hikaru Chiba

Equipment Design:  NoMaDoS / Ryosuke Takahashi

Lighting Design: TILe / Yasuyoshi Iwakabe

Construction: EIKOU Corporation

Photographer: Kentaro Yoshida