This japanese house by keisuke kawaguchi+k2-design is named after the 40 meter-long ukikabe (a floating screen wall) designed toprovide privacy from the seven-story apartment building across the street. the concrete wall is offset 1.5 meters from the face of the building;the support for this massive concrete structure was precisely calculated.
Its visual heaviness is balanced by a corridor of light and air at the perimeter.the opaque wall contrasts with the transparent glass walls to the north and at the courtyards, providing practical harmony of privacy and openness.raised off the ground plane, the family can see the feet of people approaching the house, while having privacy from the street.fresh air enters the home from under the ukikabe, then flows down the corridor to the courtyard. located in ehime prefecture, the elongated site is reminiscent of the shimanami kaido expressway that connects the imbari city to six islands inthe seto inland sea. the living spaces are organized off of a central hallway which divides the house into two parts.
To the south,the rooms are elevated on a skip floor, or mezzanine. underneath this level there is ample storage to encourage visual simplicity in daily living.full height opaque partitions separate bed and bathrooms. in contrast, the primary living rooms remain open to one another withoutwalls in the east-west direction. to the north, high ceilings, expanses of glass, and skylights connect the indoors and outdoors,allowing ample daylight to fill the space, and views of the outdoor pool and courtyard, trees and sky, to create a tranquil environment.