With 3 kids and 2 dogs

Conceived for a family with three kids and two dogs in a green area of the Hyogo Prefecture, the house designed by Osamu Morishita features different spaces for each family’s member.

Osamu Morishita Architect & Associates, With 3 Kids, 2 Dogs and the Jungle, Himeji-shi, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

The project brief was to design a single family house for a family (parents, 3 daughters and 2 dogs) to enjoy spending time together and also appreciate each daughter’s personal space to feel outdoor experience likes a scout campsite.

The spaces for the three daughters are the main idea for this house as an independent space dwelling unit at the center of house, connected to family space, toward a conceptual idea of “House in House” or interpenetration space where interact with family space. The kid’s room is separated into three independent living units but able to access by sliding screen panels to build their strong relationships with their sisters. This room is direct to the sky above. Skylight with aluminum louvered roof infuses the bedroom space with a sense of comfortable. Because the skylight and louvers diffused indirect light into the room so they can feel refreshed in the mornings. In front of their room is a common space that called “the Family Stage” a part of family space where daughters play violins like on actual stages and entertain for a family as the musician and the audience in holidays.

Osamu Morishita Architect & Associates, With 3 Kids, 2 Dogs and the Jungle, Himeji-shi, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

“They’re not the dogs, they’re family”. Coming up with this idea, Osamu Morishita designed a dog space located in the outdoor area, but connected to the house.

Considering a project that optimizes bioclimatic/passive resources and the definition of the jungle is relations with the nearby surrounding of green area as the jungle through linking spaces, the relation with the farther environment, integrating landscape contributions provided by green courtyards. Feeling of nature from inside the house is transparency but in additional, they can feel safety because of the exterior wooden louvers screens created boundary of courtyards. Living with nature, great combination of interior space separated with small green area-strip inside. The breathtaking combination of this indoor green area is an amusing mixture of inspirations between interior space and natural in conjunction with passive cooling.

In parallel, the need of sustainability is marked as one of the strengths of the project. Making indoor environment comfortable, consisting of air ventilation between lower louvers and upper window. Air replacement behavior of cool air from lower louvers will flowing through the room to green space and will exhausted through the opening window on the top. Switch the door panel to shut out from green space will change the function to corridor. However, the house is responding sensitively to the site with an identity, with its own personality and according to the place it belongs.