Interpretation of the Villa Katsura. Life Around the Garden by Tomohiro Hata
07/04/2022.
[Hyogo] Japan
metalocus, RAUL ROSA
metalocus, RAUL ROSA
"Loop Terrace" is a house designed by the Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates studio, located in Kobe, the capital of Hyogo prefecture, in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, in Japan. Inspired by the traditional Katsura Villa, the main idea of the project revolves around the relationship between the interior and exterior and the path it follows.
The project, a house in a very dense urban context, was built around a garden, around which a set of walkways was built, which enables interaction with it anywhere in the house.
The project, a house in a very dense urban context, was built around a garden, around which a set of walkways was built, which enables interaction with it anywhere in the house.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano.
Site plan. Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates.
Basement floor plan. Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates.
Ground floor plan. Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates.
First floor plan. Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates.
Elevations. Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates.
Construction section. Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates.
Axonometric exploited view. Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates.
Reference analysis diagrams. Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates.
Concept diagrams. Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates.
The residence designed by Tomohiro Hata is made up of a single volume in which cubic spaces are pierced and perforated to create an inner courtyard around which various walkways and terraces lead to the courtyard. An interesting and personal interpretation of the Katsura Imperial Villa, with its different rooms in the garden around the main pool of the complex.
The house has a strong contrast between its exterior secrecy and its opening to the interior garden. The relationship with the interior garden achieves an explosion of space and light, manages to energize the movements between the rooms, enlarges them by breaking their limits, and achieves a suggestive and interesting visual relationship between all the parts of the house.
Constructively, the material used for the foundations and basements is reinforced concrete that is left exposed in certain areas, since the basement is not completely buried. Lauan wood, a type of tree common in South Asia, is used for the structure. And for exterior cladding, stairs, and railings, galvanized steel is used.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano
The house has a strong contrast between its exterior secrecy and its opening to the interior garden. The relationship with the interior garden achieves an explosion of space and light, manages to energize the movements between the rooms, enlarges them by breaking their limits, and achieves a suggestive and interesting visual relationship between all the parts of the house.
Constructively, the material used for the foundations and basements is reinforced concrete that is left exposed in certain areas, since the basement is not completely buried. Lauan wood, a type of tree common in South Asia, is used for the structure. And for exterior cladding, stairs, and railings, galvanized steel is used.
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano
Loop Terrace by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates. Photography by Toshiyuki Yano
Description of project by Tomohiro Hata Architects and Associates
The proposal consists of a small, private house in a dense urban neighborhood. Like a valley, the site is surrounded by buildings on all four sides; the client wanted to build a house that would bring about, even if modestly, a sense of peace and fulfillment between the inside and outside.
When I contemplated the rich and mature relationship between the inside and outside in our country's cultural climate, the first example that came to mind was the Katsura Imperial Villa (referred to as Katsura). The design of this small house began from my process of looking deeper into the Katsura in my own way.
As I studied the inside/outside relationship as evident in the design of Katsura, I rediscovered various elements that lead to its sense of pleasantness. I contemplated ways to implement this knowledge that I had extracted from the Katsura which also has a grand garden in the small and dense urban "valley." I thought that, if I cut into Katsura's plan and rotate it so that it encloses into a circle, perhaps I could "fold up" the inside/outside spatial relationship into a compact version.
This resulted in a new form in which a shallow, engawa (wooden walkway connecting to the windows and sliding doors in the rooms of traditional Japanese houses.) like space that connects and supports the rich inside/outside relationships extend in a three-dimensional circle, looping around.
I would be very pleased if, through this project, I was able to demonstrate new possibilities for an urban house based on the uniquely rich and fertile inside/outside relationships of our country.
More information
Architects
Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates. Lead architect-. Tomohiro Hata.
Collaborators
Structural engineers.- Takashi Manda Structural Design, Takashi Manda, Mitsuru Kobayashi.
Landscape architects.- Toshiya Ogino.
Landscape architects.- Toshiya Ogino.
Builder
KOHATSU / Takahiro Kinugawa.
Area
GFA.-144.4 sqm.
Built up area.-85.49 sqm.
Total floor area.-159.83 sqm.
Built up area.-85.49 sqm.
Total floor area.-159.83 sqm.
Dates
Completion.- 2018.
Location
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
Photography
Toshiyuki Yano.
Tomohiro Hata. Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates
Tomohiro Hata is a Japanese architect. He studied architecture at the University of Kyoto and received his Master ‘s degree of Engineering in Architecture at the same university.
He started his career at Shin Takamatsu & Associates working from 2003 and 2004. Then in 2005, Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates was founded in Kobe.
Since beginning of his career, he was a finalist for the Atlantic City Boardwalk Holocaust Memorial International Competition in 2010, and the Grand Prize winner for the Nagahama Urban-Glass Competition (2011).
One of his early works, Belly House, won the Rookie of the Year Award of Kansai from the Japan Institute of Architects (2011), and the Complex House won the House of the Year Prize (2012).
Subsequent awards include the 3rd Kyoto Architectural Award for excellence (2015), the Setsu Watanabe Prize for the 60th Osaka Architectural Competition (2016), the Architectural Designs Rookie Award for the Architectural Institute of Japan (2017), and the ADAN PRIZE for architectural design association of NIPPON (2018).
He has been distinguished with the First Prize winner for the Sannomiya Plaza Competition in Kobe (2017), for the community terrace Competition in Akashi (2017), and Nada Station Plaza Competition in Kobe (2020).
He has been associated professor at Kobe Design University associate professor since 2017, and a visiting professor at the University of Kyoto since 2013.
He started his career at Shin Takamatsu & Associates working from 2003 and 2004. Then in 2005, Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates was founded in Kobe.
Since beginning of his career, he was a finalist for the Atlantic City Boardwalk Holocaust Memorial International Competition in 2010, and the Grand Prize winner for the Nagahama Urban-Glass Competition (2011).
One of his early works, Belly House, won the Rookie of the Year Award of Kansai from the Japan Institute of Architects (2011), and the Complex House won the House of the Year Prize (2012).
Subsequent awards include the 3rd Kyoto Architectural Award for excellence (2015), the Setsu Watanabe Prize for the 60th Osaka Architectural Competition (2016), the Architectural Designs Rookie Award for the Architectural Institute of Japan (2017), and the ADAN PRIZE for architectural design association of NIPPON (2018).
He has been distinguished with the First Prize winner for the Sannomiya Plaza Competition in Kobe (2017), for the community terrace Competition in Akashi (2017), and Nada Station Plaza Competition in Kobe (2020).
He has been associated professor at Kobe Design University associate professor since 2017, and a visiting professor at the University of Kyoto since 2013.
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