Longhouse With an Engawa

“The architecture resembles a bridge or a temple. Watching the people sitting on the porch enjoying their onigiri (rice balls), it feels like this architecture is a reminder of something important that modern Japan has lost.”

In light of the above poignant observation by the architects, one begins to see this longhouse project in a different light. In a deeper sense, it seems to encapsulate the concept of ‘in between’ in various ways—in terms of space, time and people.

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SPACE: INVITING MOVEMENT BETWEEN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

The site is long and narrow in the north-south orientation, and the building area was limited by regulations for building over cliffs. Despite the unfavourable conditions, the design team decided to lay a 2.5-ken (4.55 metres) wide veranda-like floor in a straight line, welcoming the community with the main wooden structure and an open veranda that can be accessed in various ways. The building contains outdoor spaces between three main functions: a café and workshop for local residents, a ‘living room’ for the elderly, and a tatami room and bath that echo a traditional hanare (detached room). Small walls and volumes were inserted to counterbalance the monumental structure, creating a scattering of small but human-scale spaces.

Particular attention was paid to designing the boundaries between the inserted architectural elements such as the windows. For example, a daybed was placed by the window between the café and the terrace, and the dimensions, fittings and materials were selected so that people can rest their bodies in the nooks, creating an ikata (mode of being in place) that allows people to spend time with others even if they are by themselves. The architecture of the longhouse invites movement. Almost fully open on all sides, people can move through the full length and breadth of this house easily.

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TIME: HONOURING LIFE BETWEEN WHAT HAS BEEN AND WHAT IS TO COME

The longhouse is a senior day care centre. The client is a caretaker who practices a style of care that allows people to live their lives normally, even with serious conditions like dementia. In designing this project, the goal was to create an environment in which ageing, whether with dementia or some other disability, is not thought of in isolation from everyday life.

The project has been selected as one of the top 10 greatest architectural works in the first Japan Architecture Award—Architecture Awards for Everyone in 2024.

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PROJECT DATA

Project Name
Long house with an engawa

Location
1318-1 Yonamoto, Yachio, Chiba 276-0015, Japan

Completion Date
2022

Site Area
1,585.85 square metres

Gross Floor Area
493.30 square metres

Building Height
5.97 metres

Client/Owner
ALL FOR ONE

Architecture Firm
Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop Co.,Ltd.

Principal Architect
Kentaro Yamazaki

Main Contractor
Bestec Office Co., Ltd.

Mechanical & Electrical Engineers
Yamada Machinery Office (facility); BONBORI Lighting Architect & Associates (lighting)

Civil & Structural Engineer
Shuji Tada Structural Consultant

Landscape Architect
Inada Landscape Design Office

Images/Photos
Naoomi Kurozumi

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Read more stories from FuturArc 2Q 2024: In-between Spaces!