Japanese architect Tadashi Yoshimura created a living room lined with mud during the renovation of this 200-year-old family house in Nara.

The folded mud screen forms a wall and ceiling opposite the room’s glazed facade, which slides back to transform the space into a porch in warmer weather.

The house, named Wood Old House, comprises a cluster of separate blocks with small gardens and earthy pathways between.

Other rooms include a gallery, also lined with mud, as well as storage areas with wooden beam walls and translucent paper screens.

Another interesting project by Tadashi Yoshimura is a house with woven timber walls - see it here.

Photography is by Hitoshi Kawamoto.

Here's some more text from the architect:

Project description

Wood Old House

This project is the renovation of a traditional wooden town house in Nara, Japan, built about 200 years ago, for a young couple and their children.

This old house consists of several small buildings, and there are several spot gardens, and passage gardens between buildings.

However, taking no thought of interaction between buildings and gardens, repairs have been carried out on numerous occasions, and the interior has also been redecorated with new materials. Except for the main structure and façade, the original model can no longer be seen.

‘Void space’ carved out the old house, taking out new materials. Void space means the new large space turned into a porch by opening all sliding window panels, and the new small earthen floor space, connected existing spot gardens and passage gardens, facilitated lighting and ventilation. Making the new space, we reuse materials from old house, to the extent possible.

By inserting this void space, it connects the new with the old, and a revival is achieved through a skilful fusion between buildings and gardens.

We reuse structural members and old mud wall from old house as structural reinforcements and heat storage materials. And new outside materials are planned to be able to reuse in the future, binding with wedge.

Architects: Tadashi Yoshimura Architects
Location: Gose-city, Nara, Japan

Structural Engineers: Kazuhiro Yamaguchi
General Contractor: Nakayama Komuten

Site area: 634 sq m
Building area: 139 sq m (renovation area)

Total floor area: 139 sq m (renovation area)
Structure: wood; 1story

Principal use: residence, gallery
Project Year: 2011

Materials
External wall: Japan cedar, plaster
Inner wall: Japan cedar, pine, old mud wall

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Yoshimura Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Japanese architect Masato Sekiya has slotted one timber structure inside another to construct a law firm in Nara.

The building is named Mono Struct Office, as it was built using cyprus planks of a single standard size.

Individual planks clad parts of the exterior, while groups of two or three are bolted together to provide a structural frame.

Plaster covers the walls of the outer shell, which houses office workstations.

The exposed timber inner structure is set at an opposing angle and encloses a kitchen, a storage room and a conference room.

Horizontal slit windows puncturing the walls of this room provide glimpsed views out to the adjacent road.

A few projects by Masato Sekiya have been featured on Dezeen, including another building held together by bolts – see that story here, and see all of the stories about Sekiya here.

Photography is by Yasutake Kondou.

Here's some more information from Sekiya:

A Mono Struct Office

Planet Creations original concept of monostruct uses a single size of wood plank for all of the wooden construction -- doubling or tripling for strength, and bolting joints with metal parts.

This office for a legal scrivener is made of two monostructures combined, clasping one into the other.

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One is a box-like structure of horizontal mono-structs, shortened here and there to form an irregular mozaic of space.

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The outside monostructure is regularly spaced for simplicity.

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Behind a glass facade, a basket weave of timber encases the living and dining areas of this house in Nara, Japan by Japanese studio Tadashi Yoshimura Architects.

The lattice wall can be used as a climbing frame for the client's children, but also serves as a partial screen that light may pass through.

Named Wood Block House, the rectilinear building is raised up from the ground by stone walls.

More Japanese houses on Dezeen »

Photography is by Hitoshi Kawamoto.

The following details are from the architects:

Wood Block House

The house is designed for an elderly married couple, and their grand children that occasionally stay with them.

The site is located in a housing district developed 30 years ago that kept the natural land form. Around the site, we can see beautiful retaining wall made of granite. I try to extend the exterior topography to the interior of the building.

If day light diminishes, the shape of the structural shear wall that creates a relationship to the site’s stone wall, is projected onto the glass façade.

Similar to retaining stone walls, this wall is best play equipment that kids enjoy to clime, pass under the hole , sit, and see distant scenery.

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A Structural Shear Wall System of Wooden Blocks

This structural shear wall consists of ship-shaped wooden blocks. These blocks can be easily stacked without the help of skilled workers, and can be disassembled and assembled in different location if necessary.

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Architects: Tadashi Yoshimura Architects
Location: Nara, Japan
Structural Engineers: Masahiro Inayama
General Contractor: Nakayama Komuten

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Site area: 265 sq m
Building area: 86 sq m
Total floor area: 148 sq m

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Structure: wood; 2story
Principal use: residence, atelier
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Hitoshi Kawamoto

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Materials
External wall: glass, Cement board
Inner wall: Japan cedar, LVL, Lauan plywood

The post Wood Block House by Tadashi
Yoshimura Architects appeared first on Dezeen.