Guest House in Aira

Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda

GUEST HOUSE IN AIRA

Plan21

ARCHITECTS
Plan21

YEAR
2016

AREA
1200 m²

PHOTOGRAPHS
Akira Ueda

CATEGORY
Houses, Extension

LOCATION
Aira, Japan

Text description provided by architect.

This house is a pair of architectures where the main house and the guest house face each other across the watercourse.

Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda
Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda

The main house was first built, and five years later the guest house was expanded.

The place is located in the city of Aira, south of Japan, Kagoshima prefecture.

Originally Japanese houses were open and liberate.

Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda
Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda

However, in recent years, housing in Japan has changed greatly and is becoming closed.

In response to that situation, this house was designed to regain its original liberating housing shape.

On extending the guest house, I reuse the two spatial elements that the past Japanese houses had.

They are the space under the eaves and the dirt floor.

Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda
Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda

The interior floor of the guest house is finished with a dirt floor. The dirt floor extends from indoors to the outdoors, and the outdoor part is covered with large eaves.

Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda
Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda

Beyond the eaves beneath there is a courtyard with plants, and further, beyond that, there is a main house across the watercourse.

Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda
Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda

In recent years many Japanese houses have abandoned their spatial elements, shut off from the outside with aluminum sash and air conditioner.

As a result, many Japanese houses lose contact with outside nature and become like autism. In this house, we connect indoor and outdoor with the dirt floor, cover it with large eaves, and realizing a living integrated with nature.

Guest House in Aira
© Akira Ueda


Guest House in Aira
Plan
Guest House in Aira
Perspective Sketch


Guest House in Aira
Section