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Architects: Studio Cochi Architects
- Area: 54 m²
- Year: 2023
Text description provided by the architects. This architecture is a small atelier built in the garden of an existing house. The site is in a residential area near the airport in the southern part of Okinawa Prefecture. It is set back slightly from the main road like the flagpole lot but is surrounded by a construction company's material yard and the yard of a neighbor's house, so the garden is bright and airy. The owner wanted to keep the garden and build a small atelier. Also, I was concerned about the view from the road and the neighbor's house to the main house. In considering the building, we thought it would be good to create a building that would not only function as an atelier but also serve as a buffer zone between the house and the town and between the house and the natural environment.
In Okinawa, there was originally a small buffer zone called a "Hinpun." It refers to the boundary. lic and private or wall or space at the boundary between the city and the residence. Although not necessarily necessary for daily life, these Hinpun allow people to live openly without worrying about the line of sight from their surroundings, and they also help to handle the flow of visitors and protect against storms. We felt that it would be desirable to build this atelier like the Hinpun, which is a little further away from the center of life.
The atelier and courtyard are placed between the main house, which is the center of life, and the town as if to stand a Hinpun, and a large garden is left facing the large material yard on the east side of the building. The wall of the atelier serves not only as a buffer zone from the town but also as an appropriate line of flow between visitors to the main house and the atelier. The approach and the atelier are connected by a large sliding door, which can be opened to open the atelier to the town by connecting the front yard, the courtyard, and the garden on the east side or closed like a wall to allow work to be done without worrying about the line of sight. By opening and closing the fittings, the distance from the city and nature can be adjusted according to the feels of the moment and the weather.
By having the atelier function like a Hinpun to the surrounding environment, we aimed for a generous relationship where people can live while adjusting their sense of distance from the city and their daily lives.
