Traditional Japanese House in Modern Style – Foster + Partners

Foster + Partners was commissioned to create a main house and a guesthouse for a client’s site on a dramatic stretch of volcanic coastline facing Sagami Bay, in Kawana, Japan. The main house is elevated on a platform so that its living areas have uninterrupted views of the water. The project was dubbed as “The Kawana House“, a fusion of the Japanese love of harmony and respect for nature and the Western architecture of steel and glass. It is exploration of traditional Japanese architecture in a modern context.

Full-height glazed sliding doors line the perimeter, allowing the living spaces to open out on to adjoining terraces, thus eroding divisions between inside and out. The surrounding landscape combines new elements with existing features. Mature trees line the cliff top, while newly planted camphor trees provide privacy from the road. Stone lanterns, some dating from the eighth century, are positioned around the house and a small teahouse of the late Edo period, brought from Shimane prefecture, completes the overall composition.