Hironaka Ogawa & Associates

Sundial House . Kagawa

© ogaa

Hironaka Ogawa & Associates . photos: © Daici Ano

This house stands in the middle of the fields in the country. The client does firming on the side.

The site draws attention from the street; however it is not a place from which one can enjoy beautiful scenery in particular. Yet the client desired to live openly in this home.
Modern housing lacks the feelings of seasonal and time changes by the artificial environment. My goal was to build a home where the client can feel the seasons’ change from winter, spring, summer and fall as a farmer.
In order to accomplish this, I proposed this courtyard house with a two-storied unit in the middle of the site, surrounded by a one-storied unit. I purposefully placed the two-storied unit on the south part of the site to block the sun. As a result, the shadow of the tower moves slowly though out the day. In addition, the shadows of objects and places to stay within the home move accordingly. In the summer, there would be a summer shadow. In the winter, there would be a winter shadow. The house shows different appearances in each of the four seasons. There would be a rhythm in the home’s atmosphere created by the shadow of the tower, intentionally constructed on the south part of the site.
Also, the client can feel the sense of privacy at the same time as the indication of the each room by placing a small courtyard in the one-storied unit to maintain the distances in the house.
In conclusion, this house is like a sundial where one can feel the change of the seasons along with the surrounding fields.

function : private house
location : Kagawa , Japan
structure : wood frame
site area : 727.69 sqm
architectural area : 132.21 sqm
total floor area : 147.51 sqm
completed date : 2009

architect : Hironaka Ogawa (Hironaka Ogawa & Associates)
photographer : Daici Ano