One more time, in case it wasn't abundantly clear by now: there is no minimalism like Japanese minimalism. The latest piece of residential architecture to drive this point home is from Airhouse Design Office, which once again created a light-filled open-plan home where the bedrooms are partitioned off in boxes that stand independent of one another in the double-height living space. This time, in a departure from other instances of the trend in contemporary Japanese design, those rooms also double as massive columns.
"As the client wanted wide open spaces with high ceilings, a structure composed of a large roof set on top of seven thick columns was used," Airhouse principal Keiichi Kiriyam told Dezeen. Dubbed House in Ohno, the abode is located in an orchard of persimmon trees outside the city of Gifu, with an interior layout composed so that "only the sky and the kaki orchard are visible from the inside, giving the area an open feeling while the kaki trees provide a sense of privacy from the outside world, all of which makes for a relaxed atmosphere in the interior areas."
The seven columnar structures contain bedrooms, bathrooms, and a study, two levels, and each have two floors, with the top one accessible by ladder. Head to Dezeen for more on the project, and this way for more on houses within houses.
· Airhouse Design Office creates a hierarchy of rooms inside House in Ohno [Dezeen]