The beautiful Japanese seaside town of Kamakura is known for its rich history and scenic location, offering views from the Shonan coastline to the iconic peak of Mount Fuji. A hilltop spot here can ensure some great, privileged vistas and an ideal perch from which to admire the Japanese culture and countryside; as the international owners of a new house, entitled T3, discovered, when they decided to build their Kamakura home.
The clients approached local architect Hitoshi Saruta of CUBO Design Architect for the commission. Saruta, who has a series of sensitively composed residential projects in the area under his belt, jumped at the opportunity to create something modern that would also accommodate his clients' keen interest ‘in the aesthetic of Japanese gardens, as well as Japanese culture and architecture'.
The house, which maintains a simple and fairly closed off street-facing front, highlighting privacy, slowly unfolds as the visitor walks in, and opens up entirely towards the rear of the plot and a carefully designed garden, complete with planting and rock arrangements. The scale is generous, as the house serves not only as a comfortable retreat for the owners, but also a guesthouse for visitors, as well as a place for entertaining, as the users split their time between Japan, France, and the United States. Striking a balance between domestic functionality, local charm and an impressive design approach was key.
Saruta duly obliged working with traditional Japanese building materials (such as granite, Japanese paper, black plaster, wood lattice, and louvers) where possible, to enhance tactility and anchor the project to its locale. He also adopted the use of the continuous eaves found in Japanese sukiya architecture (a residential typology linked to the traditional tea ceremony); only giving them a more contemporary twist by incorporating steel in the structure to add sharpness.
Inside, the residence spans four levels, including a basement floor with space for utilities and a garage, a ground level that contains bedrooms and a first floor, where the main living spaces are arranged, making the most of the plot's long views. The project's most impressive moment though is the scheme's accessible rooftop, with its large terrace and swimming pool, from which owners and guests can relax and take in the city and nature beyond, all within the serene setting of this remarkable, old/new architectural hybrid.
INFORMATION
-
After the floods, Valencia’s design community unitesValencia's design community launches ‘Auction for Action’ and 'Interioristas en Acción' (IED), initiatives to raise money for those effected by the floods in Spain
-
In Helsinki, Pauline Curnier Jardin has created the grotesque amusement park of her dreamsFrench artist Pauline Curnier Jardin celebrates otherness at Kiasma, Helsinki’s Museum of Contemporary Art
-
A celestial New York exhibition showcases Roman and Williams’ mastery of lightingLauded design studio Roman and Williams is exhibiting 100 variations of its lighting ‘family tree’ inside a historic Tribeca space
-
The Kumagaya House in Saitama is a modest family home subdivided by a soaring interiorThis Kumagaya House is a domestic puzzle box taking the art of the Japanese house to another level as it intersects a minimal interior with exterior spaces, balconies and walkways
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneerBack in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
-
Sun-drenched Los Angeles houses: modernism to minimalismFrom modernist residences to riveting renovations and new-build contemporary homes, we tour some of the finest Los Angeles houses under the Californian sun
-
Modern Japanese houses inspiring minimalism and avant-garde livingWe tour the best Japanese architecture and modern Japanese houses designed by international and local architects that open up possibilities for all types of lifestyle, from minimalist to communal in Japanese architecture.
-
An Aoyama House exemplifies a synergetic architect and client relationshipA client’s faith in his architect pays dividends in Aoyama House; a light-filled, effortlessly elegant Tokyo home
-
Tokyo home Le49Ⅱ brings together drama, domestic luxury and hybrid working habits
Le49Ⅱ by Japanese architects Apollo is a Tokyo home for a young family with hybrid working habits
-
Casa Monoculo offers a take on treetop living in BrazilCasa Monoculo by architect Alan Chu is a house raised above the treetops in Alto Paraiso City, Brazil
-
Tasmania house brings minimalist glass and concrete to rural KoonyaA Tasmania house designed in immaculate minimalist architecture by Room 11 makes the most of its idyllic Koonya location
