I'm home

The D residence stands in a resort area called Karuizawa-machi in Nagano prefecture situated in the Honshu inland district. While maximizing the slope of the plot configuration surrounded by forests, a building with a basement and a 1st floor with vaulted ceiling was built. On the south side, rich foliage spreads out. When you enter the entrance on the 1st floor located on the northeast side of the plot, you can oversee the approximately 4m glassed-in opening consisting of 2 floors, and a living and dining room on the bottom floor. When the window is opened, the living room connects to the outside deck so that you can closely feel the forests even though you are inside.
The owner couple wanted a weekend home which they can use year-round, and one that is well equipped with winter measures against cold. Architect Satoshi Kuwahara installed a heat storage system called "Therma Slab." This is a system where an electric heater is buried in the clod. Emitted heat underneath the floor warms the indoors and the warmth from the heater, transmits to the basement clod and accumulates heat. As for the living and dining room, a fireplace was custom-ordered so the residents are able to enjoy the flames of burning firewood. Next to this fireplace, audio instruments were placed, and an image is projected from the projector set in the kitchen on a screen which hangs on the window side. The master bedroom on the upper floor is raised 350mm from the hallway floor surface and it became a space where the view of the garden and the borrowing landscape of forests can be enjoyed. On the other hand, the bedroom, 2-mat tatami rooms located on the east and the west, and an atelier where the husband does pottery have been divided by split-levels. This units visually different perspectives. The contrast between the compact space and extended space is emphasized in the residence by having a big opening in the living room and a small window in the Japanese-style room.





Architect:Satoshi Kuwahara Architectural Studio

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