Framing Landscape between Roof and Floor Slabs
A house on a hill overlooks the sea south of the main island of Okinawa, Japan. Designed by local practice Studio Cochi Architects, the single-story family house is sandwiched between two square concrete slabs, which cantilever over the slope towards the sea and provide the floor and roof. The house is designed to grow, and in the future, the owner plans to expand children’s rooms, stores, garages, etc. The owner wanted a relaxed and open house, and a way of living where his job was integrated with his domestic life. The house includes a workshop in which the owner spends most of his day.
The layout and function of the building informs the flow line and relationship with the volume to be expanded in the future, and provides openable spaces overlooking the water. The hall is the core of life in the house. A large terrace connects it with the workshop. The roof slab creates a deep shadow protecting all interiors from the intense sunlight of Okinawa, and the movable fittings bring variability, increasing the freedom of integrating work and domestic life.
The hall and the workshop are independent and continuous at the same time, and are used in various ways. The hall may be used as an extension of the workshop or become a playground for children, and the activities of living can be freely expanded and connected to the outdoors. Floors and internal walls of wood contrast with the concrete structure, but emphasise the minimalist orthogonal spaces of the house.
Project: House in Fusato / Location: Nanjo City, Okinawa, Japan / Architect: Studio Cochi Architects / Design team: Toshiyuki Igarashi, Hiromu Hirata, Hiroyuki Inaoka / Structural engineer: Masayuki Takata (RGB STRUCTURE) / Use: House / Site area: 980.88m² / Built area:108.04m² / Photographer: Ooki Jingu
