The Shape of Breeze – StudioGreenBlue – Japan

Architects: StudioGreenBlue
Location: Isesaki City, Japan
Design Team: Mitsuharu Kojima, Wataru Kobayashi
Structural Engineer: Kakinuma Architecture Office
Project Year: 2010
Project Area: 114.27 m²
Photographs: StudioGreenBlue

The house is located in one of Japan’s hottest areas during the summer. In this are the temperatures are high, sometimes exceeding 40 degrees, along with the high humidity. Because of the high temperatures, almost all houses have air conditioning. The client doesn’t like the cold winds from air conditioners and wanted to the house to be comfortable without an air conditioner. In the beginning, to allow for easy air flow, we put box-like tunnels to divide the yard into south and north. In hot summer months, to avoid direct sunlight to brighten the room, we adjusted “eaves”, “wall”, “wing walls”, and had windows leaning to get more breeze. We also had leaning ceiling to enlarge the amount of breeze into the room. In cold winter months, the sun orbit is lower than in summer, so that more direct sunlight enters in the room. As the white floors and the leaning ceiling reflect light, sunlight reaches in the recesses of the room. When designing according to the breeze flow, we got the shape of “Ojigi(a Japanese bowing with his whole heart)”. That figure spread mellow lights the indoor and the outdoor. During the day, you can delight in the beauty of contrast between light and shadow. During the night, you shall be enchanted by the mellow and elegant gradation of lights. Last summer, Japan recorded the hottest summer, but the client told us happily “winds flowed through the rooms, and I had I was comfortable in my home last summer”.