Yousaku Tsutsumi

Portfolio

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  Guesthouse Hanare

  Guesthouse-connecting people with the hart of hospitality and Japanese citron Mr. Kenkichi Nakano, who worked as an amateur photographer in Kito village, Tokushima prefecture, was loved by many people, Unfortunately, he came down with illness, but left a will to his wife, Mineko san, "Do what you want to do". She followed it, and now runs "Ken's gallery cafe" where the photos taken by Kenkichi san, are exhibited, music events are held occasionally.
  
  Although some customers visited from a long distance, they came all the way for this cafe, or one of the local specialties, "kito yuzu"(a kind of citrus fruit), there was no place to stay at, and she felt sorry for it. For that reason, this guesthouse was built. The house was placed in a little distance from the entrance as the site is large. In between, an entrance approach which looks like a wooden bridge was set.
  
  This is an image of from ordinary life to extraordinary one, from the real world to unrealistic one. Around the building, gravel was put, and its surroundings are left as they are, so that people can feel rich greenery close. The house itself, its height stays low. in order to match the surroundings. Under the big roof, in this open space with no wall, many people can get together easily.
  
  For about guest rooms, rooms are designed, following Japanese traditional space rules, they can be used for various purposes such as bedroom, dining room, and living room. The rooms can be also used for an event, removing partitions under the big roof. In a part of the house, the local material, kito cedar is selected, about lamp shades, its cloth is "tafuori", which the local industry creates. For finishing, various natural materials such as persimmon tannin painting, or charcoal mortar were used.
  
  Preserve trees of yuzu, plum, and persimmon which that foliage is in a beautiful state, the existing bundle stones left after rebuilding turns to stone decoration for the boundary between newly built gravel and grass. Mineko san, she entertains her guests with meals, using the local food. By "Do what Mineko san wants to do", visitors would enjoy Kito village, and the guesthouse more.

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  House in Akashi

  This house is located in a quiet residential area where a hill land ranging along the castle ruins of Akashi is cut out, near the center of Akashi city in Hyogo prefecture.
  
  In spite of the limited site area, the house consists of single story with three courtyards. Harmonizing with wind, the sunlight, and lifestyle, therefore, the number of courtyards is added, and the house is encircled with woods. Without invasion of privacy, taking into nature close by, the design pursed a rich living life which eliminates barriers between inside and outside, in order to feel the endless expansion to the outer world from inside the house.
  
  The structure is divided into 3 areas, from the entrance to the back of the house, and each area has a small courtyard where private vegetable garden can be enjoyed. The first of the courtyards has a traditional dirt floor, a Japanese-style room for family which they can use freely, and “a yard with kitchen garden”, in the middle, semi-public living dining space, and “a yard for viewing”, to the back, room for private, and for laundry, “dry area”.

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  House in Akashi

  This house is located in a quiet residential area where a hill land ranging along the castle ruins of Akashi is cut out, near the center of Akashi city in Hyogo prefecture.
  
  In spite of the limited site area, the house consists of single story with three courtyards. Harmonizing with wind, the sunlight, and lifestyle, therefore, the number of courtyards is added, and the house is encircled with woods. Without invasion of privacy, taking into nature close by, the design pursed a rich living life which eliminates barriers between inside and outside, in order to feel the endless expansion to the outer world from inside the house.
  
  The structure is divided into 3 areas, from the entrance to the back of the house, and each area has a small courtyard where private vegetable garden can be enjoyed. The first of the courtyards has a traditional dirt floor, a Japanese-style room for family which they can use freely, and “a yard with kitchen garden”, in the middle, semi-public living dining space, and “a yard for viewing”, to the back, room for private, and for laundry, “dry area”.

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  House in Higashi Kosa

  A wooden architecture plan situated at the bottom of a bamboo forest where a small river also flows. The site where the sound of the river can constantly be heard, was chosen by the client who is a photographer. Here, the volumes of the structures were placed along the river, creating a long two layer volume.
  
  Thus the sound of flowing water can be heard in all the rooms which also have a view facing the stream. This house also functions as the photographers studio. Here we have created a studio space on the 2nd floor, and the living space on the ground floor, and by connecting these two floors with a wellhole we aimed to gently link the atmosphere of these separate floors. In addition, by stretching the living room outwards to the stream as an outdoor wood deck, we aimed to take in the surrounding nature as much as possible.

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  House in Nishimikuni

  What are like one-storied houses in the center of urban cities?
  
  The surroundings and privacy matters, or how to use the outer space of the house.
  
  We pursed simplicity and richness the most.
  
  By decreasing the number of the rooms as many as possible, we made it possible to use the other space as rich and spacious materials. Furthermore, take away unnecessary stories,and take in the natural sunshine instead.
  
  This house is designed for a retired couple, proposing a new style of one storied house, which is located in the center of Osaka city.
  
  There is a concern about "eye" from the park and the apartments nearby, or "eye " within the site to the outside buildings. We solved it by proposing to encircle the entire house with wall.
  
  You could see a beautiful color contrast in green from planting within the site and in blue from the sky.

• 

  House in Nishimikuni

  What are like one-storied houses in the center of urban cities?
  
  The surroundings and privacy matters, or how to use the outer space of the house.
  
  We pursed simplicity and richness the most.
  
  By decreasing the number of the rooms as many as possible, we made it possible to use the other space as rich and spacious materials. Furthermore, take away unnecessary stories,and take in the natural sunshine instead.
  
  This house is designed for a retired couple, proposing a new style of one storied house, which is located in the center of Osaka city.
  
  There is a concern about "eye" from the park and the apartments nearby, or "eye " within the site to the outside buildings. We solved it by proposing to encircle the entire house with wall.
  
  You could see a beautiful color contrast in green from planting within the site and in blue from the sky.

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  House in Otori

  This is a two-story wooden house in a densely build-up area in Sakai-city, Osaka. The space theme of this house is that privacy security, and comfortable living space combined with airy and bright room for a married couple. They also have a priority on setting a built in garage.
  
  Our answer to them, it appears monotone at first, but, exclude the existence of the garage door and its parking space, by encircling the whole exterior with silver galvalume.
  
  As for ventilation, we set galvalume plates with the same quality as the main exterior wall of material, color, and shape, in very narrow intervals at two areas of the exterior (road side and courtyard side) to create layers of slit. This enables to shut down people’s looks from the outside and only wind would go through.
  
  As for brightness, we created big open window spaces both in the courtyard and the dry space. Moreover, to make the best use of the sunlight, we planned to set those spaces in a separate distance as one straight beam from the sun would scatter, and embrace the entire house. Thus, you would enjoy the courtyard in each room openly anytime you’d like with brightness.
  
  Combining with these factors, this residential space made it possible to be open and roomy but secure privacy matters at the same time, even though the house was built in as small as about 43㎡ floor space , with the entire exterior wall encircled.

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  Public Facility Open Renovation KIITO

  Our idea was selected by “Public Facility Open Renovation Matching Competition” which was hosted by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the project was put into practice.
  
  Local authorities registered information of public facilities which they’d like to renovate, and the creators and the local authorities in pairs applied for the competition together.
  
  The competition required the proposition of not only the content of renovation, but the company activities, management structure, how the company contribute the community.
  
  The white oval-line shape combinations of display furniture were inspired by “cocoon”.
  
  “KIITO” was originally founded for inspection center of export raw silk in Kobe in 1927, and the design was based on it. The scenery of “cocoons” which were set in the air randomly on purpose reflects the image of Japanese garden, or dry landscape. ”KIITO” has its strong wild sense atmosphere of floor and wall, so the delicate thin lines of cocoon frames produces a sense of floating on air, and clarity, the more vividly focusing on the work. As the design is neutral, therefore in the shop, reasonable products, avant-garde ones, and one of a kind works by well-experienced designers, various kinds of products are beautifully naturally lined up. Also in the gallery, from young designers to experienced ones, a wide range of art works are exhibited, contrasting its greatness each other.
  
  Simultaneously, lightning that the design concept is also cocoon, illuminates the place with soft light.
  
  Cocoon is a symbol of nurturing life. As threads spun from cocoon turns into raw silk, and silk goods, this facility will keep sending Japanese design beauty through Kobe harbor to Japan, even to the world.