YG House

Location: Katta-gmi, Japan Year of construction: 1997 Architect: Atelier Hitoshi Abe Photography: Syunichi Atsumi

Hitoshi Abe, the visible head of Atelier Hitoshi Abe, belongs to a later generation of architects. Born in 1962, he is a contemporary of Shigeru Ban and Kazuyo Sejima. For four years he worked for the Coop Himmelblau before founding the Atelier Hitoshi Abe, together with Yosikatu Matuno and Hideyuki Mori.

In the early 1990s the Atelier undertook a number of large-scale projects such as the Miyagi Stadium and the Miyagi water tower. During the second half of the 90s, at the same time as the commission for theYG House, they took on projects on a more domestic scale such as the M-house, Gravel-2, and the "neige lune fleur” restaurant.

TheYG House was designed in the form of a 295 ft (90 m) long strip, folding in on itself three times to create a large central space. Six units are placed along this perimeter band containing the necessary utilities to make it a living space: a fireplace-closet, a kitchen, a washroom-laundry, a bathroom, a shoe closet, and a store.

The double-height enclosed space, the indisputable nucleus of the house, is unusual within the building. The other spaces are enclosed – and only opened when there is a functional need – whereas the central space communicates with the exterior, through the views it affords and the light it allows to enter, establishing different relationships with its surroundings.

The house retains a very close relationship with the site where it is built. On the north side the entrance area runs parallel to the curve of the land and remains in contact with it. Entering the house obliquely, we find that the south end of the structure rises away from the ground and, following the centripetal movement of the interior, we skirt round the central space – now at its full height – by ascending the stairs, passing around the chimney stack and following the walkway, moving further and further away from ground level.

With theYG House the Atelier Hitoshi Abe has endeavored to transform an abstract mental concept into a physical entity within a determined context.

The YG House was designed to be used by guests of the company that commissioned it, mainly as weekend accommodation. It stands on a huge 15,000 sq ft (1,392 nr) site and is located at the top of a south-facing slope. The house itself occupies 1,320 sq ft (123 nr) and is divided into two floors and surrounded by trees.

A house occupied on a casual basis only requires a limited amount of furniture. The resulting austerity, however, is counterbalanced by the warmth of the wood used both in the structure and finish of the interiors.

The ascending spiral staircase is highlighted by two design elements: the white walls of the staircase and fireplace contrast with the dark cedar of the floors and walls, marking out the route to follow; while on the exterior, the expressive angled roofs illustrate what happens inside.

Updated: 17th October 2014 — 8:56 pm