The Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects

The Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects - Beam, Windows, ColumnThe Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects - Image 3 of 20The Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects - BeamThe Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects - BeamThe Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects - More Images+ 15

Kamakura-shi, Japan

Text description provided by the architects. House A

House B

The Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects - Beam, Windows, Column
© Masao Nishikawa

The two adjacent residences in Kamakura, Japan, enjoy both nearby sea and mountains. The villa is for the parents’ use and the other is a residence and studio for their son and daughter-in-law.

The Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects - Windows, Facade
© Masao Nishikawa

The town where many buildings are back onto the mountain divides the town and the mountains into distinct parts. The path towards the mountains between the buildings acting like “an entrance path to a Shinto shrine” solves the problem of harmonising the town with the mountains.

The two facing buildings create an effect simultaneously of parent-child independence and familiarity. Each resident can view the opposite lifestyle or enjoy watching the green mountains, but maintain privacy by shutting down the Shoji screens set alongside the front windows.

The Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects - Glass, Handrail
© Masao Nishikawa

The site faces the southern mountains with the atmosphere of the Pacific Ocean and is open towards the east. The wide eastern facing opening is designed to allow light in, especially during the limited winter hours. The roofs lean toward each other to frame the mountain range and the roof shapes reflect the distant light from the waves.

The Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects - Windows, Facade, Garden
© Masao Nishikawa

The plants inside the site create a green border around the buildings, which in the future will blend the artificial and the natural, giving balance with the mountains.

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Cite: "The Two Houses in Kamakura / Cell Space Architects" 22 Jun 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/65415/the-two-houses-in-kamakura-cell-space-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

© Masao Nishikawa

镰仓对屋 / Cell Space Architects

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