House w/gallery

You can sit on the balcony at dusk and gaze at the mountains and sky as the sun dips behind the yato (valley). The single-track Enoden train passes around the curve directly in front of you, creaking its way through every seven minutes, with the regularity of an hourglass.
This is a house for a couple, located in a historic yato (valley) in Kamakura, just an hour from Tokyo by train. It sits adjacent to the Enoden railway, separated only by a 3-meter high retaining wall. The building footprint was restricted by both the retaining wall's foundation and local scenic regulations.
The main themes of the design are: enjoying the natural scenery framed by the valley and mountains, the play of sunlight, the client's hobby of handicraft, and the home's unique relationship with the Enoden railway.
The first floor is treated as private space and the second floor as public space. On the exterior, a balcony resembling the gallery seats (sajikiseki) of a theater was installed, facing the Enoden tracks.
The structure is a shear wall reinforced concrete (RC) structure, chosen for its high resistance to vibration and excellent sound insulation. To secure the permissible foundation area and two parking spaces, the building features a cantilever of approximately 2 meters over the west and south sides. Piles extend about 5 meters down to the bearing layer.
By using ordinary plywood for the formwork, which leaves a slightly rough, soft texture on the concrete surface, the design aims to create a gentle impression that harmonizes with the Kamakura townscape, despite being an RC structure.
*Kamakura was the political center of Japan in the 12th century.