A Warm Final Residence / Takashi Okuno

Architects: Takashi Okuno
Location: Japan
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Shigeo Ogawa

Contractor: Momiji Architecture
Building Area: 119.54 m2
Total Floor Area: 145.90 m2

From the architect. The final residence that offers both comfort and insulation for an elderly couple.  The husband dislikes air conditioning, and the wife dislikes the heat and prefers to have AC.  A layout that meets the conflicting wishes of a married couple who have been together for many years.

 External aluminum blinds, high-performance sliding wooden window frames, and heat insulating screens are used to enhance the building’ s basic capability to maintain insulation and airtightness and to actively shut out sunlight in the summers and take in sunlight in the winters. 

Further, the grounds were surveyed to determine the prevailing wind in order to work out the placement of openings to allow winds to effectively pass through the house. Based on that, a plan was made for a wind chimney that promotes ventilation caused by temperature differences.

 To carefully create an enveloping space that offers a sense of safety and groundedness, particular attention was paid to the size of each of the hanging partitions as a way to fine-tune the overall feel. The potted orchids the favorite of the misplaced by the dining room window seem to foretell the vibrant life that is to come.