“HANKAI” HOUSE

The renovation of an old house, an attempt to convert its traditional features to modern ones by replacing decrepit sections. A dilapidated 300-year-old wooden gate house, an oku (private section) and a northern lean-to were dismantled, leaving the relatively well-maintained 90-year-old main building with its traditionally square plan of four rooms in a grid. Around the main building, a private room, wet spaces and a ramped corridor were added. The greater area of the original floor space was reduced to correspond to the smaller size of the family today.
The new section winds around the main building and functions as reinforcement against earthquakes. The reinforcement is provided through an airy, soft wrapping. The structure of the new section is built with 2×4 inch wood construction. The external walls are covered with a vernacular siding of charred cedar boards to better blend into the townscape. The irregular gate-shaped volume on the facade is an independent private room with a terrace, housed over a parking space, and recalls the original gate.