A House With A Minimal Courtyard

With a distant hill on one side of the 304 m2 site, and the gate of the adjacent shrine on the other, the house opens to one of the most traditional Japanese landscapes. Designed by FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects, U-shaped building features the courtyard that secures the privacy of its inhabitants while staying connected to the landscape by a narrow water channel that seems to go beyond the wall. Although the interior includes only single open room, it’s finished with a variety of the materials that makes each part of it an independent and comfortable space. Places in the central part of the room, the huge window opens to the courtyard and further, to the landscape. The terrace and the interior space by the window were made from the same material, making the connection between the inside and outside space.