Location: Tokyo, Japan Year of construction: 1998 Architects: Legorreta Architects Photography: Katsuhida K’tcia
This is a house used as a second residence or place of relaxation by a Japanese professor of music. For this reason the rooms were designed to give priority to aspects of seclusion and tranquillity, as well as to establish a direct connection with the sea. The architecture has been kept simple in order to emphasize the marvelous views.
The entrance to the house is intentionally concealed, with a hint of mystery: a feature shared by Japanese and Mexican culture. From here, there is an entrance tower leading to a blue arched corridor, from which you can go down into the main area, containing the living room and dining room, or into either of the two bedrooms. The main feature of this central area is a large window opening onto the sea.
Stone and water, as well as a small separate patio, have been used to suggest unexpected cultural juxtapositions. The stone-based interior flooring, the washbasins, the wood, and other special items were produced in Mexico and exported to Japan, the aim being to give all the rooms a special character. Cultural interplay therefore had an important role in the process of designing and building this house.
Special care was taken with the relationship between the interior and the exterior. Consequently, the terraces became an integral part both of the interior and the surrounding landscape. A swimming pool runs round the entire house, ensuring that water is an everpresent aspect of the design. The exterior consists of pure white plane surfaces, with a succession of volumes firmly set in an orderly arrangement, following the slope of the plot.
Left-hand page:
The building looks westward across the bay to the Pacific Ocean, and the main view is the union between the sky and rhe infinite sea. An imposing range of mountains surrounds the bay and a group of nearby houses is scattered across rhe rocky hills. Situated on top of a small artificial promontory, this house is separated from its closest neighbors to the
south by a narrow road that drops abruptly toward the sea.
The use of color to enhance the value of the plane surface, and the ever-present overflowing water features are reminders of Barragan, who is also inspired by the ancient traditions of Arab gardens. The architectural language used is further reinforced by a series of fleeting allusions and references that carry additional significance.