Tokyo-based practice naoi architecture & design office has shared with us images of 'doughnut house', a single-storey private residence for a couple in rural ibaraki prefecture. situated on a plot surrounded by fields and other low-lying structures, the design seeks to create a living space that is open with ambiguous borders and boundaries.
Manipulating the privacy of the site, the design starts by building greenery and embankments around the plot. the resulting boundary of the property is loose and open, maintaining the house's privacy in a semi-porous and natural manner. taking advantage of this feature, the architecture allows the interior to open up to the exterior, blurring the line between living space and the surrounding environment. the south elevation is distinguished by a large section of floor-to-ceiling glazing which can open the communal programs to the yard outside.
The flat nature o the site allowed for a functional layout, which centres around a small interior courtyard and deck. an intuitive circulation route is set in a circuit-like fashion with every program flowing from one to the other. the slanted roof form rises to the central courtyard, establishing the spatial gravity of the house. exposed roof columns in untreated wood lends a natural atmosphere to the white-washed interior.