From the architect. This is a house with a space that looks like an interior as well as an exterior. The space has a large air volume, covered with a roof and translucent surface which keep off the rain and wind. However, it doesn't have heat insulation performance. It could be positioned on the extension of the Japanese traditional earth floor or the sun room seen in houses of Hokkaido. Here we call it a "terrace" because it is a half-exterior space that is bright and open. From spring to autumn, it works as a part of the living space. And in winter it works like a glasshouse, which keeps off the severe cold.
This is an inexpensive yet highly insulated functional small house. The footprint of indoor space is very small; 53 square meters. The private room on the second floor is an attic space like a “hiding place”. Its small indoor space has advantages such as inexpensive construction cost and easy cleaning, and low cost of utility fee.
This 26 square meters large terrace, which is the half of the indoor space, has a continuous relationship and a discontinuous relationship with the indoor space at the same time. Continuity contributes to make the small house feels spacious, and discontinuity contributes to make the indoor space thermally compact.
