akio kamiya architect & associates: house in tanimannari

'house in tanimannari' by akio kamiya architect & associates in okayama, japan
all images courtesy akio kamiya architect & associates
image © akio kamiya


japanese practice akio kamiya architect & associates has shared with us images of
'house in tanimannari', a two-part renovation project for a young couple in okayama, japan.
consisting of a two-storey detached room and a free-standing green house, the design maintains
a careful balance between the old and the new, being sensitive to the pre-existing main building
while injecting a modern character through materiality and form.



exterior view of greenhouse
image © akio kamiya


located west of the main house beyond a parallel-running retaining wall, the greenhouse
provides a place to cultivate local muscat grapes. the simple, square-shaped plan is pulled up
to a symmetrically-sloping roof form that moulds the space within into a triangular volume.
completely transparent save for the stacked stone base, the atmosphere of the interior shifts
according to the trajectory of the day; natural daylight filters in through the grapevines and
surrounding trees, resulting in a porously shaded space. newly paved with white brick,
the greenhouse retains thermal heat during the winter.



entrance elevation
image © akio kamiya



transparent roof form and stone base
image © akio kamiya



interior view of greenhouse
image © akio kamiya



porous shading and white brick floors
image © akio kamiya



back facade of greenhouse
image © akio kamiya


a former annex that housed two japanese-style rooms and a small storeroom, the detached room
utilizes the original structure of the building, maintain the rich identity of the exterior intact.
the ground level accommodates an open dining and living space that features a kitchen at
the center of its layout. a staircase at the back leads up to a bedroom that overlooks the area
below through a set of sliding screens. 



exterior view of detached room
image © akio kamiya



against the pre-existing main building
image © akio kamiya



interior view
image © akio kamiya



living space
image © akio kamiya



view from above
image © akio kamiya



bedroom level
image © akio kamiya



screens open, overlooking the living space below
image © akio kamiya



floor and site plan / level 0


floor plan / level +1



cross section / greenhouse



cross section / detached room


project info:

site area: 1519.64 m2
total building area: 309.64 m2
    detached room: 62.60 m2
    greenhouse: 32.98 m2
total floor area: 377.96 m2
    detached room: 89.98 m2
    greenhouse: 31.11 m2
structure: wood