HOUSE IN WAKAYAMA / SPRAY ARCHITECTS

This house has been designed to accommodate four generations of one family, which consists  of  eight  people from  one-year-old baby to his great-grandmother.  Located in Wakayama, Japan, the house aims to provide all the family members with their own private spaces, as well as places they can come together. It was required not only to be able to feel each other wherever they are in the house and to let kids play freely, but also to be able to protect privacy if they want to.

 

A large gabled roof which is clothed in panels of titanium-zinc alloy covers the building entirely and is supported by pillars clothed in the same material at each corner. Around the perimeter,  the  overhanging  roof  creates  sheltered  terraces.  These  four  terraces  are triangular because of the skewed arrangement of the roof. Square windows dotting its facade  correspond  with  specific  views,  framing  parts  of  the  sky,  the  garden  and  the mountains that surround the house. Inside, each bedroom is positioned in a checked pattern three-dimensionally. 

 

The rest of the inner part of a house is one space, which spread to corners through horizontally long gaps and triangular openings by the slanted walls. It seems to be a complex interior but the house is actually defined by a simple rule with four angled walls. Because these walls are the core structural elements, they can feel their existence anywhere in the house and it offers the family members rich experiences of depth in the internal spaces.

 

There are clear distinctions  between  shared  spaces,  such  as  living rooms  or  kitchens,  and  private bedrooms.  Shared  spaces  are  gently  connected  to  allow  closer  and  richer  everyday communication. The building has a traditional grid-based design, and is constructed with wood to keep costs low. Decoration is kept to a minimum to enhance the spacious feeling within the building and to emphasise the shapes created by the angled walls. 

 

 

Structural Engineering: MID