SEKIOUTEI

-Project outline The project is a private residence in a quiet part of one of Tokyo’s most esteemed hilly residential areas close to the downtown. The plan ensured conservation of the area’s irreplaceable natural assets, including abundant spring water and a locally beloved large cherry blossom tree that is about 80 years old. The program is the creation of a secondary building to be used as a private space that is extension of the existing main building, a satellite office for the client, and as a place to invite guests. It contains many pieces of the owner’s art collection and furniture, making it a space full of personal memories. It will bring together the memories of the owner and the legacy of the site and blend them into the scenery to carve out a new history. This site has been handed down over generations. A water garden has been utilized the carefully greenery and spring water offered by the site. The garden‘s main feature is an array of art by Masatoshi Izumi, who was one of Isamu Noguchi’s most essential collaborators. These complement the constant and abundant flow of spring water. The playfulness evoked by water flowing from the sculptures into a pond, and the overlapping sounds of leaves on the tree create a refreshing and visually striking space. -Using Water to Create Scenery with Depth, in Harmony with the Garden The theme of the design is connecting the building and garden through water. The ground floor has an indoor pool, water basin, and a sculpture titled “Inspired by the Omphalos,” the 2nd floor has a water terrace. The surface of these water features reflect the greenery of the garden, and the sound of flowing water create a space with depth and give a sense of abundant time. The interior is a single, loosely interconnected space, and these connections have been gradated so that the interior and exterior atmospheres slowly change. The light well, which functions as an indoor central courtyard, together with adjacent pool, artworks placed here and there, and light and shadow created by the openings, constantly draw the users’ attention to the outside, realizing a place where they can feel nature and the movement of time. -A Combined Living Room/Workspace Connecting People and Nature This residence will also be used by the owner as a new workspace for the post-pandemic period. Based on the concept of enriching mind and body, a space is created that is connected to nature, where one can converse with like-minded people on the garden side. The key of this project is a realization of a central hub for a new lifestyle that will act as a focal point for relationships with visitors and family and generate a chain of connections between people.