mA-style architects: Koya no Sumika

In the extension of the house for a young couple next to the main family home, mA-style architects intentionally left a rich blank space that would inspire the residents.

mA-style architects completed the design of an extension for a young couple's house next to the main family home, in Yaizu.

The latter is a one-storey Japanese-style house with an area of approximately 200 sqm, a type common in rural areas. A large house, it has many rooms, principally large spaces where people can gather and socialise but the young couple wanted undisturbed spaces that would allow quiet and relaxation.

A simple extension gives those living in the house separate spaces but there was a risk it might undermine the relationship between the families and the connection with the main house. The opportunity to exploit the living functions of the main house meant the extension could be designed as a small living space that maintained a distance but retained rewarding relationships.

The extension is attached by a connecting-corridor to the west side of the main house, giving the occupants time to change their mindset before entering the other living space, and the shared garden maintains a due sense of distance. The inhabitants can count a large kitchen, bathroom and future children's room in the main house so the extension only had to serve a few living functions.

The living spaces are combined in a simple, continuous structure surrounded by small, two metre-high U-shaped support walls. A 69mm-thin roof covers a V-beam roof truss formed out of 62mm panels clad with structural plywood on both sides. The overlapping of the load-bearing walls and V-beam frame plus the adoption of several different finishes create contrasting spaces and instil a vertical sense of scale in the apartment-house.

As a result, light and air circulate freely throughout the residents' living spaces and the sightlines extend beyond to bring a sense of freedom. The architects intentionally left a rich blank space that would inspire the residents’

mA-style architects Architectural firm based in Shizuoka, Japan founded by Atsushi Kawamoto and Mayumi Kawamoto in 2004. 

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mA-style architects, Koya no Sumika, Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan, 2013. Photo Kai Nakamura

mA-style architects, Koya no Sumika, Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan, 2013. Photo Kai Nakamura

mA-style architects, Koya no Sumika, Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan, 2013. Photo Kai Nakamura

mA-style architects, Koya no Sumika, Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan, 2013. Photo Kai Nakamura

mA-style architects, Koya no Sumika, Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan, 2013

mA-style architects, Koya no Sumika, Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan, 2013

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mA-style architects, Koya no Sumika, Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan, 2013

Koya no Sumika
Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan
Architects: Atsushi Kawamoto + Mayumi Kawamoto mA-style architects
Principal Use: Residence
Structural Engineer: Daisuke Hasegawa
Total Floor Area: 82.55 sqm (65.99 sqm/1F, 16.56 sqm/2F)
Site Area: 778.38 sqm
Structure: Built of wood
Completion: June 2013
Photography: Kai Nakamura

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mA-style architects: Koya no Sumika

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