Designed by Hearth Architects, led by architect Yoshitaka Kuga, this 105m² private residence in Japan’s Shiga prefecture to the east of Kyoto, is located at the end of a T-junction and surrounded by roads on three sides. The brief was to design the residence that sits on a site 223m² site with the scope to accommodate a small coffee shop in the future. As a result, the architect created two delta roofs to resemble a coffee shop in a mountain hut. One half of the space is for private use and the other can be used as a public space. However, the two are subtly connected.
As such, the house features an open kitchen on the first floor that the client can use for a coffee shop in the future. On the second floor, a private living room is provided with living areas and a bathroom. The clearly separated zoning made it possible to clarify the flow line in the house, and create a house where the semi-public space and the city are gently connected while privacy is protected.
The exterior appearance with two delta roofs of the house makes it a distinct property in Koga-shi town and the owner hopes that once the cafe opens, the house will become a part of Konan-cho’s surrounding landscape and a community gathering space.
See the full image gallery here:
Photos: Yuta Yamada
You might also like:
Tent-shaped wooden house in forest by Hiroshi Nakamura & Nap harks back to ancient Japanese living
Nendo designs Tokyo house with curved staircase that connects interior with exterior
2id Architects designs a hilltop modernist house in rural Japan surrounded by mandarin plantation
