On the northern part of Awaji Island, this project is a sea facing rental villa designed for dog owners.
In recent years, the northern part of Awaji shima island has been experiencing a rapid urbanization process, transforming the landscape drastically by adding new cafés and theme parks developments along the seaside. Facing such an uncertain and indeterminate context, we wanted to confront these rapid changes with “ambiguity and ambivalence,” rather than rejecting them unilaterally nor accepting them uncritically.
The site reflects the unique topography of the northern part of Awaji shima island. The sea and the mountains are adjacent, dense residences on limited flat land, the roads direct proximity to residences. Therefore, we chose to design a courtyard building that would act as a protective buffer from the noisy road in front and from the close neighbors all around. On the other hand, we created large openings on the front street side to grasp this ever-changing environment as wells as the facing sea. These openings quietly draw the reality outside but also operate inside for all the inner spaces to be visually connected, creating perspective all along the boundary architecture.
In the courtyard, a gentle hill is created in response to the difference in the steps of the skipped floors, forming a circular flow through the interior/exterior. The north-facing terrace (morning terrace) provides a bright and peaceful view of the courtyard and distant landscape from the shade, while the south-facing terrace(night terrace) offers a starry sky view after dinner or bathing. These locations, while blocking the view of the surroundings due to the difference in elevation of the building, let in wind and light, forming a “a-wai” (a shallow space that finds its way between the surrounding buildings).
The overall composition takes the shape of a series of beads (necklace) in which different scales huts are continuously connected to the flow of circulation. Inside, the floor height is gradually raised to suppress the dog's barking threats to passing cars, and the living room is placed higher than the car height. The gradual difference in levels between the skipped floors divides the space, creating an environment in which people and dogs can coexist naturally without being separated by any wall. In addition, a small take-out food shop is located under the living room floor, creating a links the local community to the architecture and activating the parking in front.
The exterior skin is unified with a reddish-brown tone, referring to contextual elements such as neighboring glazed roof tiles, painted cedar boards, warehouses steel facades and bicycle parking lots.
With this project we aimed to create a place where one can relax in the here and now while resonating with the slight fluctuations of time and environment.
