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The Pitched Roof Huis by Takaharu Tezuka and Yui Tezuka

The Pitched Roof Huis by Takaharu Tezuka and Yui Tezuka is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award in Silwer in Argitektuur-, Gebou- en Struktuurontwerp Competition Category.


SilwerArgitektuur· 2021

The Pitched Roof Huis

by Takaharu Tezuka and Yui Tezuka

Client: Tezuka Architects

A' Design Award in Silwer Winner in Argitektuur Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About The Pitched Roof Huis

Die Skuinsdak is 'n enkelvloerhuis in Karuizawa, Japan, wat deur 'n baie eenvoudige skuinsdak bedek word. Slegs veertig persent van die ruimte onder die dak is toegemaak, sodat die grens tussen binne en buite sag bly. Die uitkragende dak strek oor ses meter met 'n struktuur van slegs 200 millimeter dik. 'n Gevoude, L-vormige oppervlak funksioneer as 'n monocoque-element en verminder die aantal steunpunte wat nodig is. Skuifdeure laat die bewoners toe om die karakter van die leefruimte te verander. Die huis herinterpreteer die diep dakoorhange van tradisionele Japannese argitektuur.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Silwer

The Pitched Roof Huis is 'n wenner van die A' Design Award in Silwer, 'n buitengewoon prestigieuse erkenning wat toegeken word aan topklas-, pragtige en indrukwekkende ontwerpe. Wenners in Silwer is geweldig briljante en uiters kreatiewe werke wat die uitstaande kundigheid, talent en skerpsinnigheid van hul ontwerpers illustreer. Daar word verwag dat The Pitched Roof Huis 'n wonderlike vertoonstuk is wat merkwaardig professioneel en diepgaande innoverend is. Hierdie ontwerp wat die A' Design Award in Silwer gewen het, is 'n hoogs noemenswaardige, bewonderde uitvinding wat die grense van kuns, wetenskap, ontwerp en tegnologie bevoordeel en uitbrei. The Pitched Roof Huis is 'n wyd beny skepping wat begeertes oproep, positiewe gevoelens bring en verbasing en verwondering wek.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
This is a house located in Karuizawa, Japan with an extremely simple pitched roof. Traditional Japanese houses do not create enclosed environments but instead, form spaces that enable easy transition from the inside to the outside. By forming a blurred boundary, only forty percent of the space under the roof is enclosed within the interior. While the inside is being used primarily by the inhabitants as living spaces, it is the outside that defines it.
Dimensions & Packaging
Floor: Single floor
Ceiling Height: 2,100 mm
Roof Height: 3.446 mm
Site Area: 1,059.18 m2
Floor Area: 208.56 m2
Tags
House, Pitched Roof, Cantilevered, Japanese, Deep eaves, Boundary, Wood structure,
Production Technology
The cantilevered roof of over 6 meters, pushes the limit of the 200mm thick roof structure. By adopting a folded shape as the main structural element, it minimizes the support needed as compared to having a flat roof, which would require three times more of the support utilized. Like the Japanese papercraft, Origami, the L-shaped surface acts as a monocoque element – not resisting stiff but drooping about 5 centimeters under snow pressure like tree branches in the forest.
Design Challenge
In Traditional Japanese Houses, the space under the eaves is often associated with columns. However, these columns serve purely as structural elements to support the cantilevered edges and are not crucial in enclosing the space. Had technology been much more advanced, we would have been able to design without columns years ago. We are now able to achieve the real intricate quality of open spaces in Japanese Architecture - a feat that was not possible for carpenters 400 years ago.
Research
The pitched roof house is trying to reach a certain level of mutability by re-interpreting the traditional elements into modern context. In aiming to heighten qualities of architectural mutability, the work is tied into a long tradition of Japanese vernacular architecture known for its sliding doors, screens, and other boundary-modulating elements, such as deep eaves. These elements not only create the spatial fluidity, but also open the architecture to life-giving elements of sunlight, wind, and humidity, modestly scaled the ubiquitous digital lifestyle with a return of nature.
Inspiration
Deep eaves, as one of the most important Japanese traditional architecture elements in local monsoon climate, are almost extinct in modern houses. It is essential to comprehend the meaning of these traditional elements in the modern setting. With the latest technology, the house seek to reinterpret the deep eave in the context of a humid climate, retain and create more opportunities for these distinctive Japanese qualities to sprout forth in modern architecture.
Project Duration
The project started in July 2007 and finished in May 2009 in Karuizawa, Japan
Operation Flow
The house is designed for a well-known Japanese pop songwriter who wanted to create a place where he could disconnect from the pressures of daily life. The space enclosed enables the inhabitants to perform their basic living tasks while open space under the deep eaves allows them to connect to nature and the surroundings. The sliding doors which divide the inside from the outside can be used to realize the shift in ambiance within the living space.
Team Members
Constructor: Niitsugumi Co., Ltd.
Structure: OHNO-JAPAN
Lighting: BONBOLI Lighting Architect & Associates
Landscape: GA Yamazaki
Image Credits
Image #1: Photographer Katsuhisa Kida, FOTOTECA, 2009.
Image #2: Photographer Katsuhisa Kida, FOTOTECA, 2009.
Image #3: Photographer Katsuhisa Kida, FOTOTECA, 2009.
Image #4: Photographer Katsuhisa Kida, FOTOTECA, 2009.
Image #5: Photographer Katsuhisa Kida, FOTOTECA, 2009.

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