Concrete half rounded, half square home by Kugatsuno Kaze Design Office

Architects: Kugatsuno Kaze Design Office
Location: Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Year: 2015
Area: 1.442 ft²/ 134 m²
Photography: ©MItsuo Matsuoka, Toshiyuki Nakao
Description:

“I want to create elegant curves using rough texture. Curves are inspired from a woman’s graceful gestures when she is adjusting her clothes. I also want to express lively energy of a woman playing an active role in the society. And I admit that graceful roundness of female body is great inspiration for my design.

Rough texture represents toughness of a man, but at the same time I also want to express delicate feeling and loneliness of a man that are hidden inside. In other words this is my experiment of contrasting roughness and minuteness. My intension comes from the love for the nature. It is a fact that an architect cannot avoid doing damage to the nature when he builds. But I sincerely wish to search for a way to minimize such damage.

I am sure that the term “recycled plywood panel” is not popular in business of architecture. I selected such plywood panel to make concrete form. Plywood is usually used for surface finish for the first time, re-used for the second time, and in most cases it will not be used for construction after that. But I decided to re-use it for the third time to make concrete forms, with intension to reduce impact on the nature.

The house, sitting comfortably on the ground, should be calm. And its silhouette should be simple. Residents enjoy nice view from there. They are sheltered from cold wind and heat. They peacefully wake up from good sleep, listening to birds singing. They enjoy reading and good drinks. They smell the trees….

Architecture does not say anything. It simply stands there quietly in the landscape. I built a small house. I sincerely hope for an opportunity to present my work to people around the world.”