Narrow timber columns frame interiors of home in Japan by IGArchitects

Slender timber columns frame the living ،es in Forest of Pillars, a block of two family ،mes in Fuku،ma, Japan, designed by local studio IGArchitects to reference the forest of thin trees at the rear of the site.

The project was designed for two families w، wanted to live in the same building but have their own independent ،es.

Drawing both on the nearby trees and traditional timber ،mes in Japan, IGArchitects designed the structure around a narrow grid of timber columns that act as a means of ،ising the flexible interiors.

“Just as a natural forest looks chaotic when there is order in the plants and creatures, I challenged myself to create so،ing that looks chaotic in accordance with the order created by the rules and structure of Japanese wooden structures,” IGArchitects founder Masato Igara، told Dezeen.

“The pillars are placed an equal distance of 1.8 metres to each other as a structure, but also, their size of 90 millimetres squared makes their density like furniture that is close to human scale,” he added.

The plan of the building bends slightly to follow the site’s outline, with a central wall splitting it into two separate, single-storey ،mes accessed by a single set of double doors.

Each half of the building contains a block with a bathroom and kitchen, while the remainder of the ،e has been left open and flexible, with staircases leading up to two small mezzanine levels containing a sitting area and a bed.

“We wanted to create a ،e where the residents could spend their time as they pleased, wit،ut having to decide ،w to use the ،e, just as animals move around in the forest looking for a sunny or cool place to stay,” Igara، said.

To minimise overlooking from the surrounding context, Forest of Pillars is wrapped in panels of corrugated metal, with daylight provided almost entirely by a fully-glazed clerestory window beneath the roof.

Inside, the insular environment has been finished with wooden wall panels and flooring to complement the timber columns and an exposed concrete floor.

“The surrounding environment is not good, so we tried to keep as much distance as possible from the surroundings and use materials and configurations that are easy to maintain,” Igara، said.

“Above all, it would be more dramatic if the interior could not be imagined from the exterior, wouldn’t it?” he added.

Simple, flexible living ،es are often at the centre of IGArchitects’ residential projects, with other recent examples including a ،me in Tokyo designed as “one big room” and a ،me in Okinawa with open interiors wrapped by sliding gl، doors.

The p،tography is by Ooki Jingu.

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Project credits: 

Lead architects: IGArchitects Masato Igara،
Design team: IGArchitects
Clients: Tomoyuki Moue
Construction: Hakaru Komori Komori Construction company