A couple of clients based in Tokyo were adamant that this was to be the site of their second home. A small plot in Isumi, on a mountain, on a site too small, was the first part of the challenge. The additional lack of running water, gas and electricity were other problems that architect Jo Nagasaka resolved when he was commissioned to design this house.
The clients for Hanare House (meaning 'detached house') wanted an unpretentious home-away-from-home, simple space which they could fix up themselves", says Nagasaka architect.