Sakuramori House

The site is located in Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, an area with heavy snowfall.
The plan was to demolish the large house and barn that originally stood on the site and rebuild it into a compact house that would allow the couple to have a close eye on each other. The client wanted to incorporate the large garden, which had been carefully nurtured over the years, into the living space, and to make it easier to deal with the heavy snowfall.

We proposed a one-story structure with all of the living space on the first floor and a large loft with low ceilings on the second floor. The structure is a conventional wooden structure, a wooden rigid-frame structure with metal hardware, and a wooden mansard truss structure. The structure is designed to withstand 2 meters of snow, while the south side of the building is fully open, making it possible to arrange the garage, entrance, living room, and storage room side by side facing the south garden, where openness is required.

No windows are placed on the northwest side of the building, which is exposed to heavy wind and snow, to create a snow barrier to protect the living environment from wind and snow by storing the snow that slides down from the roof and accumulates on the ground. In addition, a terrace for maintenance was planned under the eaves of the eaves, assuming the location of the snow eaves that form due to the wind and snow from the northwest.

The behavior of snow is also an object of the design, and we attempted to create a comfortable living environment while making effective use of the heavy snowfall.
The large opening on the south side allows precious winter sunlight to shine through, and the snow wall acts as a barrier to protect the residents from the cold wind and snow. The green of the garden, the blue sky in the north, and the morning sun reflected in the large single-paned ceiling painted with a three-part glossy finish.

By incorporating the sky, the sun, and the snow, an environment that has been a natural part of the region for centuries, and utilizing it appropriately in the building
The aim is to create a compact passive house that makes it easier to cope with the snow and more enjoyable to interact with the four seasons.