Life In Harmony With Nature
Cover. Kazetsu no Ie, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan [2012] Architecture: Toshihito Yokouchi Architect & Associate. Photographer: Shigeo Ogawa.
Preface
This text is replicated from House Design: 10 Concepts by Toshihito Yokouchi of Toshihito Yokouchi Architect & Associate.
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1.
A House United with Nature
I believe that human life should be in harmony with the providence of nature. We believe that the ideal home is a place where people can feel the beauty, richness and comfort of nature in their daily lives, and feel that human life is part of the rich diversity of nature.
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2.
Continuity of House and Garden
The existence of a garden is indispensable to make a house where you can feel nature. Just as the word 'home' consists of a house and a garden, these two are important elements that cannot be separated from one's life. So when I build a house, I always design the garden and the house as one.
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3.
Importance of Openings
In order to create a close relationship between the garden and the house, the shape of the opening is important. It's easy if you just put an aluminum sash on it, but that doesn't make it a nice house. In addition, openings have problems of securing privacy, crime prevention, heat loss, and above all, the light must be beautiful, so pay close attention and design the most suitable opening for the house. I am careful.
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4.
Life Surrounded by Natural Materials
I think that the materials used for building a house should be as natural as possible. In particular, I am designing the interior materials with the desire to use wood, grass, paper, and soil that have a natural flavor. This is because the house becomes more tasteful as time goes by, and above all, natural materials make people feel at ease.
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5.
Selecting Appropriate Furniture
Since furniture touches the body, its quality greatly affects the quality of life. Even if you make a good house, if the furniture does not match it, the house may be ruined. I think functional and well-designed Scandinavian furniture is best suited for the house I design, so I recommend that kind of furniture.
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'I believe that human life should be in harmony with the providence of nature. We believe that the ideal home is a place where people can feel the beauty, richness and comfort of nature in their daily lives, and feel that human life is part of the rich diversity of nature.'
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6.
Modest Exterior and Rich Interior
When I am building a house with a limited budget, if I am asked whether I should give priority to the exterior or the interior, I will answer 'interior' without hesitation. This is because a house is made to live in, not to show off to others. As long as the exterior of the house is durable, I think it is better to have a modest exterior that blends in with the surrounding townscape.
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7.
Adequate Storage Space
In order to live a rich life, we need various things around us. If you don't store them properly, your home will be cluttered with stuff. That's why I try to store a lot of things, focusing on things that are built-in and that look neat and efficient.
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8.
Relying Less on the Equipment
Even though we live in harmony with nature, air conditioning and hot water supply facilities are indispensable in today's life. My idea is to use floor heating as standard for heating and to minimise cooling by improving the ventilation of the house and creating an atrium.
In particular, openings have a large heat loss, so double glazing is used as standard, and by improving the insulation performance of the entire house, we try to create a house that is cool in summer and warm in winter without relying too much on equipment. Because I think it's more earth-friendly and much more comfortable.
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9.
Harmony of Japanese Tradition and Western Modernity
My house-building philosophy and aesthetics may be based on what originally existed in Japan and the East. Considering the future of the Earth, I think that it is very thoughtful. The major theme is how to incorporate it into our modernised, westernised lives.
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10.
House as a Piece of Architecture
No matter how small the house is, I hope that the life itself is rich and beautiful, and the house is a spatial art that gently wraps it, that is, architecture. Consistency in thinking is necessary for housing as architecture, and above all, high quality in space is essential.
It means that it has a universal value that does not change for human beings, but I would like to continue designing with the aim of creating a house that will be loved for a long time, transcending time, cultural and national differences.