‘house of trough’ by jun igarashi architects in hokkaido, japan all images courtesy jun igarashi architects

‘house of trough’ by japanese studio jun igarashi architects is a dwelling for a couple located east of hokkaido. the site, which is a less-than-desirable plot next to an iron factory, called for a design that limited the interior’s visual interaction with the exterior to maintain a calm living atmosphere for the inhabitants.

jun igarashi architects: house of trough kitchen/dining/ living view from above

in order to ensure that the living space was sufficiently closed-off from outside site conditions, various programs of the house act as ‘buffer zones’ and are distributed accordingly to push certain spaces more inward than outward. the square-shaped plan sandwiches the living/dining/kitchen area between a service/storage volume to the north and a bedroom/storage volume to the south. this middle zone is largely devoid of windows but remains open vertically to promote a spacious quality.

jun igarashi architects: house of trough bedroom with stairs to the closet

much like mezzanines, the two volumes to the sides remain open, enabling the inhabitants to overlook the rest of the house while still illuminating the lower level. the south side accommodates a guest room in the partial basement, a bedroom on the ground floor and a generous storage space on the elevated level. the washroom and utility closet are housed on the north side with an additional lookout stoop accessible by a ladder. white translucent curtains act as temporary walls when needed.

jun igarashi architects: house of trough (left) entrance, looking up to the bedroom loft (right) guestroom

jun igarashi architects: house of trough semi-translucent curtains set apart the two ‘buffer’ rooms

jun igarashi architects: house of trough dining space

jun igarashi architects: house of trough (left) view from the north loft (right) view of the living space from the entrance hall

jun igarashi architects: house of trough

jun igarashi architects: house of trough view from the sleeping loft space

jun igarashi architects: house of trough south elevation in context

jun igarashi architects: house of trough exterior at night

jun igarashi architects: house of trough (left) floor plan / level -1 (right) floor plan / level 0

jun igarashi architects: house of trough (left) floor plan / level 0-1(right) floor plan / level 1

jun igarashi architects: house of trough (left) floor plan / level 1.5 (right) model – plan view

jun igarashi architects: house of trough sectional model – looking east

jun igarashi architects: house of trough sectional model – looking westjun igarashi architects: house of trough west elevation

jun igarashi architects: house of trough east elevation

project info:

client: couple structural design: daisuke hasegawa & partners construction: yamada industry co., ltd structure: wood storeys: 2 site area: 208.06 m2 total floor area: 98.44 m2