long diagonal wall carves up this renovated 40-year-old wooden house in shimogamo, japan

tada masaharu and endo shojiro renovated this 40-year-old wooden house built on the way to shimogamo shrine in kyoto, japan. it is located between a forest-like park on the front and a river on the back with an underground storeroom and a loft which the architects considered as an opportunity to spread the space vertically.

view from the living room. diagonal shear walls run through the upper and lower floors
all images by matsumura kohei

tada masaharu and endo shojiro integrated a main design element in the space; a diagonal wall, that would open up the four layers from the basement to the loft and divide the internal space into two sides; the forest side and the riverside. the forest side is a dark and quiet space with an approaching diagonal wall making it a place where individuals can concentrate on their work and the riverside is a bright space where the family gathers, with a feeling of rising due to the slanted walls spreading upward and natural light filling it up.

diagonal shear wall in front where the hobby and workroom in the basement are seen. the atmosphere of the space on the other side is felt through various gaps

the height of each floor is changed little by little, and it is slightly distanced from the diagonal wall. this resulted in several small gaps between the floor and the walls that connect the areas, creating a space where brightness and darkness exude. in this house, the architects wanted the guests to enjoy a collection of many small spaces while experiencing the richness of the space moving up and down like a spiral and going back and forth between diagonal walls.

hobby and workspace with a desk under the stairs. the base of the mortar has an opening large enough to hold a container box for storage

view from the arched opening. the volume of the front mortar is the bathroom and washroom

view of the kitchen from the dining space. the upper part of the kitchen is connected to the stairs where natural light falls from above along the diagonal wall

view of the living space and bedroom on the second floor. the space is vaguely partitioned by the diagonal walls

looking down from the loft where floors of various heights create layers

view of the gap between the diagonal wall and the floor

view of the loft where the river can be seen at the bottom

a new façade was created by partially reducing the existing building

the slanted walls create a mix of bright and dark spaces

photo of the existing 40-year-old wooden house

project info:

name: house in shimogamo

architects: tada masaharu, td-atelier/ endo shojiro, ENDO SHOJIRO DESIGN

location: shimogamo, kyoto, japan.

area: 109.28 sqm (1176.28 sqft)

photography and video: matsumura kohei

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.