N House by TOFU

Catherine Warmann

1 February 2011

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This cedar-panelled box in Shiga, Japan, is a family house by Japanese studio TOFU architects.

Called N House, the exterior is clad in cedar panels in three different shades.

A second-floor terrace has been created by cutting out a cube-shaped portion from the volume.

The traditional layout of a family house has been reversed, with the bedrooms and bathrooms arranged on the ground floor, while the living spaces and an extra bedroom are on the second.

Photographs are by Yohei Sasakura.

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The following informations if from the architects:

N-HOUSE

This residence is located in villa subdivision areas in Otsu, Shiga, Japan.

There are rich natural environments with Lake Biwa in thesoutheast and Mount Hira in the northwest,so in the first stage,we have decided to use cedar panels as exterior materials.

The exterior wall is colored with three colors and attached gradation patterns,therefore the abstract wood texture comes and gives us a massive impression.

As Forest side,we have arranged a semi-outdoor terrace inside,so that there could have an coherent exterior space.

Also in the living room, we observed the sky and forests around it and we have made graceful sunlights come in various directions through the windows.