Yuji Tanabe Architects

Silver World / Reflection House 3.0 is my personal residence, designed to embrace the unique dialogue between the mountains and the sea in Kamakura, Japan. This project involved the extensive renovation of a 40-year-old, two-story timber-frame house. The site is characterized by an exceptional sense of spatial transparency; while the north is cradled by a mountain and the west bordered by a neighbor, the east and south remain open. A five-meter elevation drop to the southern plot ensures unobstructed vistas in both plan and section.

Throughout my career, as I moved my home and studio across Kamakura, I consistently developed "silver reflective apparatuses" to compensate for the spatial shortcomings of each location. In this residence, these elements converge as if by necessity, culminating in a singular, cohesive "Silver World."

Spatial Reconfiguration
To prioritize the surrounding views, I inverted the original program—moving the private quarters to the ground floor and the living areas to the upper level. On the second floor, the removal of partition walls and the original ceiling transformed the interior into a singular, monolithic volume.

The Materiality of Light
The ceiling features a proprietary detail I have refined over several projects: sheep’s wool insulation held by stainless steel mesh. The insulation, compressed between the rafters, bulges into a "kamaboko" (semi-cylindrical) profile, creating a soft, undulating surface that diffuses light with a subtle shimmer. Complementing this, mobile benches—reminiscent of a traditional Japanese engawa—and kitchen trays act as additional reflectors.

A central feature of the space is the "boulder-like" kitchen storage unit, which emphasizes the ceiling height. Constructed from a Lauan lumber frame, it is clad in hand-bent, laser-cut aluminum plates to form a complex polygonal skin. This "boulder" serves a functional purpose, guiding natural light deep into the northern reaches of the building, which would otherwise remain shadowed.

Process and Philosophy
To optimize the budget, I utilized disaggregated contracting (separating material procurement from labor) and performed the interior painting with my family—an approach made possible by years of architectural practice.

The resulting "Silver World" is a vessel for the passage of time. Through the layering of infinite reflections, the architecture captures the ephemeral oranges and pinks of dawn and dusk, projecting the shifting landscape into the interior. Ultimately, this project seeks to reclaim space and time through the act of "looking up"—a theme I have continuously explored in my architectural journey.