This project is to renovate an RC residence in Ono City, which was once built by a representative of a sake brewing company, into a residence and store.
The site is located in an area where rice cultivation centering on Yamadanishiki is flourishing, surrounded by paddy fields and a beautiful rural landscape. With a site area of just under 1650m² and a total floor area of over 429m², there is no limit to the amount of work done to the house. Therefore, I kept the exterior renovations to a minimum and focused on enhancing the interior spaces. What was important in the design was to inherit the atmosphere and spatial quality of the original architecture.

To change the former impression of the store as a house into a select store, we created a versatile space with a mixture of old and new materials. Three sets of custom-made steel sashes measuring 4.5 m wide x 2.5 m high were fabricated. The RC walls, which were impressive when demolished, were left untouched. Instead, a new material developed by a plasterer that mixes a special resin with cement was used for the partition wall and counter between the newly constructed residential area and the building. The exterior spiral staircase and steel sashes are galvanized at room temperature, and the aging effect of the natural zinc is not a simple decoration like makeup. Instead, it matches the space that requires an essential texture that is not new or old.

The space of the residence is organized around a 4m x 3.5m courtyard. When you open the front door, you can see the trees in the courtyard, and the kitchen, living room, bedroom, storage room, and water area surround the courtyard. The courtyard is planted with maple leaves, Aodamo (Japanese ash tree), white flowers in the spring and early summer, white-flowered pampas grass, and Marubasharinbai (Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum), which bear fruit in the fall, along with the existing masonry and hanging lanterns. The U-shaped kitchen, built with the cooperation of a plasterer and a furniture maker, will become a place of preference for the client who enjoys cooking and drinking, as multiple people can stand in the kitchen.
The finishing materials used in residence include existing RC walls, plaster, mortar, and lauan wood. The materials were selected to make it easy to experience the sunlight entering the space. The result is a rich space where one can enjoy the flow of time and the changing seasons through the sunlight shining on the walls and the changes in the trees as one goes about one’s daily life. (Daisuke Kuroki)

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