Site
Location:Hekinan City, Aichi
Land area:1,108.71 m2

Building
Use: Private Residence
Structure: Steel
Floor Area: 398.47 m2 

Published
2024	GA JAPAN 194
2024	Jutaku Tokushu 2024:464

In the spring of 2020, I visited the site. While sensing the coming spread of an infectious disease, I also felt the calm
beginning of spring and was soothed by the soft, woodland-like atmosphere of the garden’s greenery. Occasionally 
catching glimpses of the main house, I noticed the stray cats gathering there, their presence revealing the comfort
this environment offered. The house that stood on the property had never been lived in by the current owner—it had been
built by their parents after the owner had reached adulthood. At the back of the property stood a tea house, quietly 
exuding beauty and grace. The plan was to demolish the existing building and construct a new home where the couple, 
their large young dog, and several elderly cats would live. They also wished for a garage with space for several cars.
I listened to their requests and considered many possibilities, but no definitive solution emerged. It felt like a loss
to destroy the sequence of spaces that included the main house, with its characterful roof tiles, and the atmospheric tea
house. The soft spring sunlight filtering through the garden’s trees was also deeply pleasant. Rather than impose a 
form, I thought of creating a gentle arc-shaped house along the southern edge of the site, facing the greenery that spread
under the soft light. The plan wasn’t about designing a shape but rather tracing the natural flow of life while making 
the most of the site’s inherent qualities. As I sketched and developed ideas, the plan suddenly came together in one 
fluid moment, as if guided by something unseen—even though it was drawn freehand. I felt it was a very gentle response to
the environment, and not only the owners but anyone would find it easy to accept and feel at peace with.

The result was an arc-shaped house that wraps around the garden to the north, encompassing the existing main house and tea 
house. The main house would be reinforced with steel framing, its interior walls removed to convert it into a garage. The 
new residence would be a space defined by the flow of the people and animals living there, enclosed in a cost-effective 
shellmade of steel framing, ALC panels, and insulation. The entire northern face would be open. To avoid disturbing the 
flow of wind and the composition of the garden soil, the house would be elevated on pilings, with a gentle ramp leading
people and animals from the entrance. The floors and roof would be externally insulated, and a system of fans and spiral
ducts would be created to circulate air from the air-conditioned interior through the subfloor and walls, promoting a calm
and consistent airflow. The windows would be fixed, double-glazed units installed through metalwork construction. Again,
rather than focusing on form, the living space would become a flowing zone that defines the garden’s edge through 
perception. The large dog would joy fully run in ellipses along the ramp and beneath the eaves of the former main house,
while the cats would curl up by the fireplace. The space would blend seamlessly with the greenery of the garden, offering
views of the main house and tea house beyond. Diversity arises in the flow of all things, and this arc-shaped environment
would embody that quiet, natural circulation.