![Hankai House / Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates - Windows, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5009/587b/28ba/0d27/a700/25af/newsletter/stringio.jpg?1361391418)
-
Architects: Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates
- Area: 850 m²
- Year: 2007
Text description provided by the architects. Renovation of an old house, in an attempt to convert the traditional program to that of a modern house by replacing the decrepit sections. The deteriorated 300-years old wooden gate house, the “oku” (private section) and the northern volume under lean-to roof were dismantled, leaving the relatively well-kept 90-years-old main building with its traditional square grid plan (with four rooms). After that, around the main building, a private room, water utilities and the traffic line (ramp) are added. Excess in the original floor space is reduced to correspond to the size of the family.
![Hankai House / Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates - Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5009/5865/28ba/0d27/a700/25ab/medium_jpg/stringio.jpg?1360796966)
The new section twines around the main building and functions as reinforcement against earthquakes. The reinforcement is provided through an airy, soft wrapping. The structure of the new section is a 2×4 inch wooden system.
![Hankai House / Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates - Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5009/586a/28ba/0d27/a700/25ac/medium_jpg/stringio.jpg?1360796970)
External walls of the new section are covered with vernacular siding boards of burnt cedar to better blend with the townscape. The irregular gate-shaped volume on the façade is an independent private room with terrace housed above the parking space, representing the imagery of the original gate revived.
![Hankai House / Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates - Image 14 of 18](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5009/589f/28ba/0d27/a700/25b5/medium_jpg/stringio.jpg?1360797007)