The Three Roof Imah

Press Kit

Unique Properties

By dividing the roof into three parts, It ensured daylight from the north side and made it easier for air to pass through. The split roof secures the ceiling height suitable for each place and brings about change in the space. It has a 4.0 meters space under the eaves in a pillarless space, but it keeps the height of the eaves low. Therefore, it is possible to protect a comfortable space with good ventilation while suppressing the strong sunlight of Okinawa.

Dimensions & Packaging

Site area : 753.04 m2 Building area : 318.00 m2 Total floor area : 285.93 m2 Structure : Reinforced Concrete Structure Main external finishes Roof : concrete Exterior wall : exposed concrete Main internal finishes Floor : Walnut flooring Inside Wall : exposed concrete Ceiling : Western red cedar & exposed concrete

Tags

Architecture, Single houses, Flexible space, Roof, Japan, Okinawa,

Production Technology

Both X and Y directions of this building are planned with wall type reinforced concrete construction, and steel pipe posts are arranged at places requiring consideration for landscape. Because of the mixed structure, earthquake resistant walls are arranged without bias, and column heads and column legs of steel pipes are embedded to evaluate spring rigidity. As the cantilever span has a maximum of 5.0 m, the roof is uniformly planned with an extremely thick mat slab of 450 mm.

Design Challenge

In this area at least one third of the roof must be slope. The plan is based on a pitched roof from the traditional Okinawan house. The split roof allows natural light where not blocked by structures such as pillars and walls. It also maintains its own structure, and the roof looks like it’s floating.

Research

Amahaji* is characterized by protection from the strong sunlight of Okinawa. It can be used for a variety of purposes, such as communicating with visitors, or sitting and looking outside. In addition, there is no wall between Amahaji and inside, and it is partitioned by fittings. In this project, the space is more than doubled compared to the traditional one.

Inspiration

The traditional okinawan house uses long eaves to stave off the subtropical heat. But it blocks natural light and darkens the house. In order to solve this problem, the roof was divided into three parts and the house was brightened by taking in natural light from between the roofs. There is also Amahaji which provides a flexible space under the eaves.
The space under the eaves is called “Amahaji” in Okinawa.

Project Duration

Okinawa Japan. The basic design started in March 2019. Completion date is December 2021.
The site is bordered by three roads and is elongated east west. The site is characterized by apartments and commercial facilities in the north, and a spacious landscape in the south.

Operation Flow

The purpose of this project was to make good use of the climate of Okinawa and provide comfortable living. There are many good hints in traditional architecture. Also it has construction techniques unique to the subtropical region so we have evolved them with modern construction technology to provide a more livable living space.

Patents

None

Image Credits

All images photo by Mamiyasan