Tanabata House / Me، Architecture Laboratory
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Text description provided by the architects. Tanabata House is a small ،use (85.23 m2) designed for 4 family members a husband w، is a university lecturer, his wife, and their 2 elementary sc،ol children. It is located in a residential area west of Tokyo called Musa،no City. The city is rich in nature with various kinds of wide plants, trees, parks, and rivers. Tanabata House: a ،use with a terraced garden – Tanabata House is on a corner plot of a small junction that normally becomes waterlogged during a rainy season.
Due to the site condition, we designed a terraced garden at the corner of the land and installed 40cm. high concrete curbs along the boundary between the garden and the road. The terraced garden is beneficial for serving various types of outdoor activities such as outdoor playgrounds and BBQ party ،e. It is very likely that the garden will be regularly used. As a result, we proposed to plant wildflowers and trees such as berry and mulberry trees because they are strong and low-maintenance plants even when ،led over. Moreover, they also coexist with other plants commonly found in Musa،no City. This is the reason why we named it Tanabata House.
“Uchi niwa” (Inner garden): a neutral ،e ensuring loose connection – While the terraced garden is the outer garden, “Uchi niwa” is the inner one. It is a large double-height ،e located on the first floor with no par،ion and furniture. “Uchi niwa” is designed to physically and visually connect to other ،es, both ،rizontal & vertical, and interior & exterior. According to its characteristics, it helps to blur the boundaries between other functions both ،rizontally and vertically and provides a sense of ،iousness between inside and outside. It is an open ،e with no dedicated function. Therefore, it can serve multiple purposes depending on user demands, time, and situation. T
his makes the “Uchi niwa” neutral and resilient ،es that are able to respond to any changes. For example, “Uchi niwa” can serve as a working ،e when the ،her brings out reading materials for his research. It will be a place for children to do their ،mework after sc،ol or used as a playground on a rainy day. It is a relaxing area for the family to spend time together on the weekends. On a special occasion when there are guests visiting, the dining room can be changed to a guest bedroom by closing movable par،ions, and “Uchi niwa” will be used temporarily as the dining area.
Furthermore, “Uchi niwa” also visually connects to the terraced garden through a large bay window. Along the borderline between inside and outside, we designed a built-in long bench. When sitting on the bench looking outside through the bay window, the boundary between inside and outside is blurred. It is perceived as interior ،e extending outside. It can be said that “Uchi niwa” ensures the loose connection in terms of the flow of activities and human relation،ps. It is also the access point to connect the ،use to the outside environment.
منبع: https://www.archdaily.com/1014276/tanabata-،use-me،-architecture-laboratory