Japanese architect Tsubasa Iwahashi has added a new timber house to an existing house in a forest in Okayama, Japan. The ‘hut’ as he calls it, is a comfortable house for two filled with daylight and connected to the surrounding nature with open-air spaces and wide windows.
Iwahashi designed the hut for a couple who wanted to live closer to their family. There’s sufficient independence to the new living space because of the surrounding forest, but also a beautiful connectivity between the two structures.
The roof of the hut is also the roof of the newly extended kitchen of the main house. The overarching roof therefore brings the inhabitants together over the experience of eating and drinking.
Lightness and openness define the design. A ground floor passageway has become an airy arbour for garden work and hobbys. From the large bedroom windows on the first floor, a balcony can be reached from which to enjoy the tree canopies and the breeze. A cosier living space above provides some privacy and a comforting sense of enclosure in contrast.
Architect Tsubasa Iwahashi founded his atelier in 2010 in Osaka after studying architecture in Kobe. He was featured in the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2018 with a minimalist cube house in Osaka with a timber interior structure that defined the living spaces and flow of daylight through the space.
-
How Charles and Ray Eames combined problem solving with humour and playfulness to create some of the most enduring furniture designs of modern timesEverything you need to know about Charles and Ray Eames, the American design giants who revolutionised the concept of design for everyday life with humour and integrity
-
Why are the most memorable watch designers increasingly from outside the industry?Many of the most striking and influential watches of the 21st century have been designed by those outside of the industry’s mainstream. Is it only through the hiring of external designers that watch aesthetics really move on?
-
This Fukasawa house is a contemporary take on the traditional wooden architecture of JapanDesigned by MIDW, a house nestled in the south-west Tokyo district features contrasting spaces united by the calming rhythm of structural timber beams
-
This Fukasawa house is a contemporary take on the traditional wooden architecture of Japan
Designed by MIDW, a house nestled in the south-west Tokyo district features contrasting spaces united by the calming rhythm of structural timber beams
-
Take a tour of the 'architectural kingdom' of JapanJapan's Seto Inland Sea offers some of the finest architecture in the country – we tour its rich selection of contemporary buildings by some of the industry's biggest names
-
Matsuya Ginza lounge is a glossy haven at Tokyo’s century-old department storeA new VIP lounge inside Tokyo’s Matsuya Ginza department store, designed by I-IN, balances modernity and elegance
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthThis September, Wallpaper highlighted a striking mix of architecture – from iconic modernist homes newly up for sale to the dramatic transformation of a crumbling Scottish cottage. These are the projects that caught our eye
-
Utopian, modular, futuristic: was Japanese Metabolism architecture's raddest movement?We take a deep dive into Japanese Metabolism, the pioneering and relatively short-lived 20th-century architecture movement with a worldwide impact; explore our ultimate guide
-
A new Tadao Ando monograph unveils the creative process guiding the architect's practiceNew monograph ‘Tadao Ando. Sketches, Drawings, and Architecture’ by Taschen charts decades of creative work by the Japanese modernist master
-
A Tokyo home’s mysterious, brutalist façade hides a secret urban retreatDesigned by Apollo Architects, Tokyo home Stealth House evokes the feeling of a secluded resort, packaged up neatly into a private residence
-
Landscape architect Taichi Saito: ‘I hope to create gentle landscapes that allow people’s hearts to feel at ease’We meet Taichi Saito and his 'gentle' landscapes, as the Japanese designer discusses his desire for a 'deep and meaningful' connection between humans and the natural world
