In Japan, a Straight-Ahead Gable Home Takes an Unexpected Turn
A curved facade and black steel cladding give way to bright, open living spaces for a young family of three.
A curved facade and black steel cladding give way to bright, open living spaces for a young family of three.
Kikuo Shinoda’s former home was not ideal. "It had few rooms and no private space for my child," he says, adding that "it was cheap and could be found anywhere, with no sense of comfort. We didn’t want to spend time there."
SAAD Architects designed a compact gable-roofed home with a curving facade for a family of three in Maebashi City, Japan.
Photo by Akari Kuramoto
On a site in Maebashi City in Gunma Prefecture that has open fields to the south, architect Tomoyuki Sudo of SAAD Architects designed something that would better suit Kikuo’s family. At first glance the new home evokes a barn with its pitched roof, but with a curved facade and swooping roofline on one side, it reinterprets a standard gable.
The brief to Sudo was for a living room with lofty ceilings, and large south-facing windows to make the most of a view of a viaduct in the distance. Natural light was also critical, as was "a simple, clean interior, a primary bedroom and two bedrooms for their daughter and a future child on the second floor, as well as another room that can be used as a hobby room or study," Sudo shares.
The first level is completely open, providing the family with a flexible living space.
Photo by Akari Kuramoto
The kitchen's stainless steel counters match the gray concrete floors.
Photo by Akari Kuramoto
See the full story on Dwell.com: In Japan, a Straight-Ahead Gable Home Takes an Unexpected Turn
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