Constructive logic, displayed as the distinctive trait of the project: since 2004 Masahiro Harada + MAO (principal) and Kazuyoshi Nomura (partner), brilliant young Japanese architects of the Mount Fuji studio based in Tokyo, have made this the earmark of architecture immune to ornamental concessions, always driven by a dialectical relationship with the site of intervention.
In the design of this weekend guesthouse on the peninsula of Manazuru (a Japanese town in Kanagawa Prefecture), standing on a hilly site that follows the gentle slopes of the topography towards the south, the jointed composition of the architectural object is inspired by the greenery of a lush landscape of broadleaf trees that encounter the expanse of the Pacific Ocean on the horizon.
“To build something in such a rich natural environment,” says Masahiro Harada, “it seemed inappropriate to apply a rigorously self-contained order, like an urban lot densely developed on all sides, physiologically short on light and privacy. The large horizontal vistas, following the shape of the terrain, and the passion of the clients and their guests for beachcombing stimulated us to configure a type of open, dynamic order, flexible in the use of spaces, gradually regulated in relation to the surroundings.”
The typology of spatial reference became the very open configuration of overseas lofts, assembled in a clear geometric scheme: three linear volumes of different heights, two parallel to each other and a third placed diagonally that overlooks the other two, intersecting them and connecting them. One is for private spaces, one for a studio-atelier, and another is for the communal living-dining-kitchen zones, with the elements of vertical connection between the various parts.
“The lower, intimate level was ideal for sleeping, to organize the spaces of the three bedrooms,” Harada observes. “The luminous upper level was ideal for the dining and kitchen zone, the place of socializing par excellence, which extends outdoors with an absolute terrace, like a lookout point over the sea, not unlike the deck of a ship.”
The two-story living area in the central volume thus took on the role of the symbolic heart of the domestic landscape. It features a full-height glass facade marked by a checkerboard of metal and wood casements that frame the most beautiful views of nature with the placement of the windows.
Inside, in a subtle figurative analogy, this surface corresponds to that of the wall with shelving that incorporates the furnishings in the architectural structure: the ordering element of the space that functions as a spine of reference while at the same time taking on great expressive value.
As Harada explains, “the standard pillar-beam construction system adapted to a section with a thickness of 38 mm, aligned in an arch of 830 mm, configures a series of L-shaped units in LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) to clad both the wall and the ceiling.
These units – reinforced by a power beam and column made from a log of natural seasoned spruce with Douglas Fir treatment – and organized on three size scales (large, medium and small), have been positioned so that every part overlaps the others, giving rise to irregular spaces and corners that are not conceptually determined by an absolute geometry, but in relation to a range of specific coordinates, like the natural lines and position of the existing trees, the views towards the sea, the physical character of the materials in terms of volume, texture and density, or the balance between the fluidity and solidity of the parts.
The process of regulation of these factors, in terms of mutual harmony and dialogue, is what determines the form. And since the order adopted for the structure of the house relates to the open character of the surrounding environment, this dialogue extends to the sea, the forest and the landscape.” Little need be added.
To outfit this serene habitat harmony only the essential is required: a large sofa in tones of gray, a fireplace-stove for the cold season, Tripolina chairs in fabric and metal with bright colors that stand out in the wooden enclosure and against the black slate tiles of the floor, a ladder and a suspended staircase in wood and steel with a graphic silhouette to respectively connect the two upper levels open to the living area and visually communicating with each other, like ideal galleries on a domestic stage.
Photos by Ken’ichi Suzuki – Text by Antonella Boisi
