Minimalist House / Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

Jul 2010

By Nico Saieh — Filed under: Houses ,Selected , Concrete, Japan, Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

Architects: Shinichi Ogawa & Associates / Urbanist Architect
Location: Okinawa, Japan
Site area: 211.59 sqm
Building area: 102.22 sqm
Total floor area: 102.22 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

This building is a court house for a couple in Itoman-shi, Okinawa, Japan.

The house is built on a 3M grid module in all XYZ directions, while it is composed of 4 vertical plates as exterior walls and 1 horizontal plate as a roof slab. A functional layout is created by inserting a void of 3M x 18M which is the court for the house and wall-like furniture into the concrete structure space which dimensions are 3.0M (3×1) high by 9.0M (3×3) wide and by 18.0M (3×6) long.

The space composition is characterized by the division of the house into two areas by a like-wall furniture.

The first area is composed of the living room, dining room, and bedroom as an interior space connecting with the exterior court in a linear arrangement, while the other space is composed of the kitchen, powder room, and study room in a succession.

floor plan

The shower room, toilet, small court, and various storages are laid out in this wall-like unit, which also incorporates the services ; all spaces combined together create a lifestyle that minimize the division of the space as much as possible.

With regards of the natural light of Okinawa’s climate, the internal space connecting with the outside is designed with eaves in order to control the amount of direct sunlight coming inside the house.

The exterior wall is designed to facilitate maintenance by applying photocatalyst paint.

The functional counter unit incorporating the kitchen, powder room, and study room is made of integrally a solid surface “DuPont Corian”.
Consequently, this house is creating a habitation space that invites to a minimal and a flexible and various lifestyle.

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: © Courtesy of Shinichi Ogawa & Associates

: site plan

: floor plan

: elevation 01

: elevation 02

: section 01

: section 02

* Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.

Comments (11)
Tweets (67)
Links to this entry (4)

Uriel says:

That’s pure… how simple and clean! It’s SIMPLY amazing

# July 31, 2010 at 00:30

-2

Nikola says:

How come people never tire of this ?

I think somebody needs to write “Minimalismus und Verbrechen” or maybe Koolhaas did already and nobody listened ?

# July 31, 2010 at 05:17

-1

eili says:

hehe nice one ..

# July 31, 2010 at 17:36

Maarten says:

Because Minimalism exposes all basic architectural elements without any sign of ‘overly designed shapes’. The base of architecture is never boring, since its our profession.

# August 1, 2010 at 22:11

No, Minimalism is just as much of a design ideology as any other. It is ridiculously overused and therefore boring. Anything overused becomes boring, no matter how ingenious at first.

Also, there’s no one base of architecture, because the base depends on the ideology you approach it with. For example the base of classical architecture isn’t the basic shapes, but the orders.

# August 2, 2010 at 02:30

v-pikhay says:

Efficiently, Professionally, Simply and Brilliantly

# July 31, 2010 at 06:22

Air Jinx says:

That would be just awful to live in.
This environment would get so boring and depressing just because there is no view to the outside (well 3m before it’s blocked by a white wall..) and therefor no stimulation form outside your white walls.

Not to mention what it does for it’s environment, who would ever want a big white block in their street?

# July 31, 2010 at 15:46

Adam says:

Air Jinx, I understand why you wouldnt want a “white box” in your neighborhood, but have you seen most of the dwellings in Japan? They’re mostly horrible, this is a palace (both in form and size) compared to most in Japan.

# July 31, 2010 at 20:43

Oflodor says:

Minimalism is not for anybody. Not too many people can understand the philosophy behind the concept.

# August 2, 2010 at 17:43

up_today_arch says:

as the concept it is the best one, but… you should have special one kind of mind to live there… great imagination to see landscape behind white wall…

# August 1, 2010 at 15:20

skub says:

This is an amazing to look at and admire, but I would imagine it would be impossible to live in unless you were a robot.

# August 2, 2010 at 10:45

12:24 AM Jul 31st

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6:30 AM Jul 31st

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8:57 AM Jul 31st

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3:01 PM Jul 31st

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3:14 PM Jul 31st

André Amaral

6:20 PM Jul 31st

Joeleen Yoo

6:43 AM Aug 1st

Jonathan Lerner

Minimalism run amok. Great small-house, multi-use plan but where's the art, color–or guard tower for this prison cell? http://bit.ly/bHEiEW

7:00 AM Aug 1st

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7:07 AM Aug 1st

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9:46 AM Aug 1st

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1:40 PM Aug 1st

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6:43 PM Aug 1st

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6:45 PM Aug 1st

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