Keisuke Hatakenaka Architects Studio

Is there any familiar item like a ready-made sash in Japanese housing. Especially double sliding sash roots deeply in the Japanese experience. We of course know that sash separates indoor and outdoor. When we look ready-made sash from inside, the other side should be outside.

This is extension work of a house in North-Kanto. This project stared receiving client’s request to build office and parking for work and an atelier and greenhouse for hobby in neighboring land bought newly. And “big fixed window” is also one of their request.

At first we don’t think it is a good idea to use fixed window in this site where it can be never said that it has good view. But on this project, we can use the space between the main house as private area, of course. If we can make the view that we don’t know whether it’s outside or whether it’s inside by using fixed window, it could be an affluent house ranging various face of area on the whole premises.

On this project, we put fixed window toward a garden and dog court then arrange entrance=sash next to fixed window.  And also we arrange sash as partition in one of the room. The wrong impression which says opposite of the sash is outdoor and the greenhouse where the sunlight is coming would be the synergistic effect that coursed confusion whether next space is inside or outside – this is the effect I expected.

There is no special design on itself but by using familiar sash which is icon of border, we can make hierarchy of next space confused and try to be equivalent through this project. When client’s object overflowing inside or outside, the hierarchy is more confused and they may feel whole of this site as living space, we hope.