House T

A home for a couple whose children have grown up, standing in a residential area where the older scenery still remains. There were two requests. For security, no unnecessary openings. And a house where they could live richly even while indoors. These two seemingly contradictory wishes — how to make an environment that is closed, yet rich — became the starting point for the house. A shrine stands to the north of the site, and to the south, across a passage, a row of trees fronts the neighboring houses; for a residential neighborhood, the surroundings are generous. We therefore placed a tall, elongated volume at the center of the site, connecting north to south. Openings are made in this volume alone, drawing the outside presence — sky and trees, light and shadow — inward. Finishing the interior walls as white planes lets the captured scenery, the plants placed inside, the timber columns and beams, and the staircase emerge as outlines. Several openings between this space and the adjacent living room and bedrooms let those shifts seep quietly into daily life. Sitting at the center of the household's circulation, this space also works as a switch between outside and inside. Placing the presence of nature at the center: this is what gives depth to a closed house.