The house is aligned east-west so the balcony on the south side probably does all the right things regarding solar gain. If not, it’s nothing a few bamboo blinds won’t fix.
34°43’27.59%22N 135°14’13.20%22E
Or should we even care? In Japan they’re supposed to enjoy living with the seasons aren’t they? Just the other side of the mountain is Kyoto. Kyoto is in a valley – it’s bitterly cold in winter and steamingly hot in summer. Kyoto has serious seasons. It is also where Ando’s Azuma House is located.
Living inside a poorly ventilated and insulated concrete box in Kyoto is seriously living the Japanese dream. I just mention this in passing. In the past, some Japanese have been able to convert physical discomfort into an aesthetic appreciation of the seasons. It seems like a useful skill. We may have to learn it.
But speaking of Ando, see that five-sided empty site to the west of the googlearth image? Just south of it is Ando’s Rokko Housing project (1983).
Here’s an interior shot (of a room that, hopefully, is not a bedroom) from this site.
This is probably one of the better places to be.
Meanwhile, back in the little house …
As architecture, it’s impossible to compare the two. But as applications of architectural intelligence to create a pleasant place to live, I think I have to salute Yo Shimada of Tato Architects for his House in Rokko.
the anti-money shot
It is not trying to make a statement about Modernism.
It is not trying to make a statement about tradition.
It is not trying to make a statement about culture.
It is not trying to make a statement about beauty.
By virtue of the fact it exists, it does make a statement about its owners having the money and land to build it – but there isn’t a building on this planet that doesn’t do that.
