cell space architects: house in hill

‘house in hill’ by cell space architects in gunma, japan all images courtesy cell space architects photographer: masao nishikawa

japanese practice cell space architects (mutsue hayakusa) has sent us images of ‘house in hill’, a single storey villa in gunma, japan. plugged into a south-facing hillside of a wooded site, the design seeks to keep as much of the natural landscape intact by curving around the topography to trace the contours of the land.

view from below the hill

placed on a low gradient of the hill, the design is initiated by the form of the topography, working with it in order to generate as well as define the space. an outdoor terrace finished in wood wraps around existing trees, filling in the gap between the landscape and the entrance and the house. in addition to providing structural support, the roof rafters are used as a finish to visually aid the sense of space by directing and projecting the interior outwards. the beams are extended beyond the outline of the dwelling to create a curving overhang.

approach

predominantly finished in floor-to-ceiling glazing, the design secures a panoramic view of the surrounding national park. partition walls that divide the interior is kept to a minimum by utilizing a series of vertical louvers made out of round wooden rods. the effect is a porous screen that maintains visual connection throughout the house while still defining the individual programs. the contour lines of the hillside is continued throughout the communal space, manifesting in staged areas, steps, and curved built-in furnitures. seating arrangements are resolved as benches that hug the form of the land. both interior and exterior treatment of the design seeks to find a middle ground between architecture and landscape.

outdoor terrace