House for Parents / Matsuyama Architect and Associates

The house was designed as a permanent nesting ground for an elderly couple who had spent their lives making Oshima Tsumugi (woven fabric), a traditional craft of Amami Oshima. The site is located on the Pacific Ocean side of northern Amami, on a rise that overlooks a peaceful village and the mountains. For any project taking place on these southern islands, protection against typhoons and severe subtropical climate is of utmost importance. These preventive measures, however, had resulted in the creation of many buildings that have been designed to close off from the outside.