House ZPK

House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura

House ZPK

GoGo1122

ARCHITECTS
Gogo1122

LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR
Oval Green

MANUFACTURERS
Ariake, Beal, Hay, Lixil , New Light Pottery, Porters Paint, Tajima, Yabashi Marble, Yamada Shomei, Cera

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Go Kawakita

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Yamada Shomei

CONTRACTOR
Towa Landtech

STRUCTURE ENGINEER
Tetsuya Tanaka Structural Engineers

DESIGN COMMUNICATION
Félix Roudier

AREA
114 M²

YEAR
2024

LOCATION
Japan

CATEGORY
Houses, Adaptive Reuse

Text description provided by architect.

In a community where nature endures and history unfolds with grace, there stood a house, 75 years in the making.

House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa

This was an architect's personal project, breathing new life into an ancient dwelling. The neighborhood, a tapestry of a few homes, has remained unchanged since its urban planning a century ago.

Three generations have called this place home, their bonds forged in shared classrooms from kindergarten through middle school.

House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura

The allure of this land is evident in the care its inhabitants bestow upon their daily lives. Yet, as generations shift, migration to urban centers has begun, and the legal constraints of this district have hindered architectural evolution, leading to a peculiar "urban depopulation."

For the small community where this edifice stands, the park to the east and the local path winding to the west have long been cherished companions, embraced with deep affection. 

House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura

Yet, the existing structure, with its openings solely facing the front garden, had erected clear boundaries against these beloved spaces through blank walls and towering hedges. 

In this renovation, we have unfurled a grand aperture on the eastern facade, accompanied by an earthen terrace flowing seamlessly from the living area. The intricate maze of partitions has been dissolved, giving birth to a unified expanse. 

House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura
House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura

Moreover, we have breathed new life into the construction's remnants - the earthen walls and foundation soil - reincarnating them as the focal point of the space, a newly erected earthen wall, thus orchestrating a symphony of material rebirth.

Through these transformations, the park, the interior realm, the front garden, and the local path now intertwine in harmonious unity. The resulting floor plan allows one to sense the gentle passage of time occurring in the surrounding world, like leaves turning with the seasons or shadows lengthening across the day.

House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura

In a poetic dance of old and new, two Design Datums were conceived to preserve the spatial memory of the existing dwelling even after renovation.

The first, a harmonious alignment of openings at H1950mm, echoes the height of the original lintels.

House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa

The second, a demarcation between past and present, caps the renovated finishes at H2300mm—the height of the existing ceiling—above which the original structure stands bare, a testament to time.

These twin Design Datums intertwine the bodily sensations of the old house with the ongoing narrative of the existing framework, allowing them to coexist within the newly crafted spaces.

House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura

In the realm beyond walls, a gentle boundary of earthen terraces was envisioned, nurturing the delicate threads of community woven through years of inhabitation.

Here, one may directly caress the recycled materials of the old and the weathered bones of the existing structure, while new spaces accumulate fresh memories.

House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa

It is a sensory symphony where past and present stimulate the five senses in a harmonious concert.


House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa


House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Satoshi Asakawa
House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura
House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura
House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura
House ZPK
© Akira Nakamura


House ZPK
Section


House ZPK
1st Floor Plan
House ZPK
Floor Plan


House ZPK
Detail
House ZPK
Axonometric