type: residence, cafe
location: yakushima, kagoshima
floor: 123.79 m²
date: march, 2020
constructor: matsuurakoumuten
notes: shuhei imazu, hiroaki kitagawa
photo: shuhei imazu
The house is for a family of three who decided to move to Yakushima. The site is located at the foot of a mountain in the southeastern part of Yakushima, along a slope from the prefectural road to the center of the island. In addition to the use as a residence, the client wanted the house to have a store and lodging functions in the future. In response to this request, the client conceived of a house in which each use would be allocated along a line of flow from the front road to the slope, and the sequence itself would be built up. A spacious entrance and a kitchen were built in the one-story house at the front of the site, and it was planned to function as a store area in the future. The first floor of the two-story building is allocated to the living area to ensure privacy, while the second floor, which is accessed by an outdoor staircase, is used for lodging. The accommodation area on the second floor is an open space flanked by semi-outdoor terraces overlooking Mt. Mocchomu-dake and the Pacific Ocean. The architecture, which nestles into the shape of the island and interweaves the exterior and interior, is a house that is at one with nature, as if life were integrated into a part of the site.