We undertook a complete renovation of a 32-year-old single story wooden house for a family moving from a city to a countryside.
In planning the renovation, the family relocation and the characteristics of the existing house were superimposed, and the house was interpreted as a “spaceship carrying the family”. The spatial composition and materials were selected based on the storyline of “a family that moves from far away, lands here, and takes over itself to an existing vacant house to develop a new life”.
The original house was a simple square building with a pyramid shaped roof, and behind the ceiling was a roof truss structure and a vast space that could not be seen from the interior. We removed the existing ceiling and all partitions between each room, and connected the upper and lower beams to create an almost one-room open space.
In addition, the exterior walls were set back about 700mm, and the area under the eaves, which used to be outdoors in the existing house, was incorporated as an indoor space. This additional floor space was made to function as a space for storage, a counter, and a place for home appliances. The new foundation and exterior walls around the perimeter of the house has also increased the structural strength of the house.
Several concave lens windows are embedded in the spacecraft to provide a fisheye-like view of the outer side while it is underway, and they function as top lights for lighting after landing. Taking advantage of the characteristics of the concave lenses to spread out light, the windows are made as small as possible to maintain the roof’s thermal insulation performance, while allowing natural light to softly enter as wide an area as possible. Multiple round skylights are also iconically displayed on the exterior, emphasising the spaceship feel.
The L-shaped horizontal series of windows and counters resembles a cockpit, and the entrance and approach resemble a landing hatch, where these designs evolve based on the story.
The house is roofed with galvanized steel panels in a straight line from the roof to the wall, creating a massive appearance that makes the house look like a huge solid piece. The original roof tiles were removed and replaced with steel panels to significantly reduce the weight of the roof and improve earthquake resistance.
Furniture left in the existing house was given a place and role so that it could be incorporated with the new custom-made furniture, and together with the exposed pillars and beams, we aimed to create a space in which the old and new elements coexist in a tight balance.
The narrative design approach that we have taken in this design, is a way of thinking that reimagines the relationship between architecture and people, and dramatically expands the design in a direction that we had not expected.
