This is a house of a family (a couple and two children). A site is located at the south foot of high mountains(3200 ft. above sea level) , near Kanto plain, Japan. Originally, the site was a forest of Japanese walnuts. In many trees, there is remarkably big and impressive one. The family hoped to leave this. From there, the project began. The family requested a main room that all family members can gather feeling the walnut tree. At west half of the house that faces to the walnut tree, I arranged a living room. And divided the room into an outdoor space and an indoor space by big windows. An outdoor space (outdoor-living) connects an indoor-living to natural environment.
I designed a great openingof the roof (top light) at the outdoor-living to have a continuity with the tree and the sky. And settle the cedar partial walls with consideration for privacy. One could feel the tree and the sky directly at the outdoor-living, and indirectly at the indoor living. Approaching from a road, over the walnut tree, one could see the gradually ascending gabled roof. So the house becomes the background of the walnut tree in harmony with nature. In the ground floor, I located the outdoor-living, the indoor-living, a kitchen, a private room, a bathroom. The first floor, I located a child room and a multi-purpose room with bookshelves. In contrast with the the high ceiling living room, it has a feeling of low ceiling attic space, but also enough space to live. At an east side roof terrace, one could look at the south high mountains. The terrace also leads a morning sun light into the ground floor living room as the high-side light. The multi-purpose room is gently connected to the void of the living room.
