This was an existing residential lot with homes on the east, west, and south. Across the street to the north is a park. We began work on the design using the primary concept of harmonization with the park’s lush greenery. We tried to create a facade design that incorporated a lot of the park’s greenery, where local people gathered to relax.

We created a simple form that integrated the parking area with the structure. We chose a monotone for the exterior walls, but left the wood grain on the entrance portion. This allowed the surface to blend in with the greenery in front and the soaring sky. The result is a home with a calm appearance among the trees when viewed from the park.

The residents were a three-member family: father, mother, and child. The house with a light court was designed incorporating the consideration that the family would have more children, and that one of them would live there in the future after starting a family of their own. From overhead, the residential area looked like a large box. We cut away the center area to provide a sense of openness, and the design incorporated a great deal of light and air in each living space. This created the sense of a circuit. If two households were to share the home in the future, the light court would preserve the privacy of the adults of different generations, yet would be a community space that links the two generations.

A box-type house protects the family’s privacy, and has a structure that is closed to the outside in consideration of crime prevention. The light court provides a sense of openness from the interior, allowing a sense of comfort in the living room and dining room with good illumination and ventilation.

For residential design, it is necessary to consider changes in lifestyle and the environment, as well as incorporate a future design for tearing down and rebuilding. Therefore, we improved the stiffness by combining the 2×4 and 2×6 construction methods for the conventional framework. The wood material is both environmentally friendly and enables a free and bold design not found in conventional framing methods.