Under Four Roofs

Under Four Roofs

UNDER FOUR ROOFS

Atelier Haretoke

STRUCTURE 
Wood

CONTRACTOR
Kyoto kensetsu

PHOTOGRAPHS
Toshiyuki yano

TOTAL FLOOR AREA
160.28 sqm

AREA
1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

SITE AREA
301.52 sqm

FOOT PRINTS
109.87 sqm

YEAR
2012

LOCATION
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

TYPE
Residential › Private House

This wooden house project is located on a site between the Entsu-ji Temple (built in 1678) and Mt. Hieizan in Kyoto, Japan.

Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano
Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano

Inspired by the artwork Toshikuru by Japanese painting master Kaii Higashiyama, the goal was to create the look of both a single building as well as a townscape through the use of several roofs.

Under the floating "Four Roofs,” various sized living spaces are lined up in echelon form.

Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano
Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano

Cypress and cedar from Kyoto composed a big-boned, half-timbered framework that continues to the eaves and gives the home an identity.

An outer wall is well-combed mortar crafted by hand, representing a sense of delicacy by enclosing a window with cedar board.

Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano
Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano

Residents can feel the essence of Kyoto everywhere in the house through the range of the gable roof, the deep eaves, slanted axis, echelon form, local materials, and handcrafted outer wall.

The home also uses Shakkei, which means to make use of a beautiful surrounding landscape in the distance or of the neighborhood trees in the layout or design of a garden.

Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano
Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano

In this case it was Hieizan, a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto

This house was designed to maintain the beauty of both the dwelling itself and the townscape as the years pass.

Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano


Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano
Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano
Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano
Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano
Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano
Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano
Under Four Roofs
©Toshiyuki yano