ever-changing light shapes 'kaleidoscope' family home in japan by fumi aso architect

"Inspired by the perceptual play of a kaleidoscope, Fumi Aso Architect & Associates has completed a single-story family residence that explores how light and seasonal conditions can continually reshape interior experience. The Kaleidoscape home sits on a flagpole-shaped plot in downtown Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, a commercially zoned area now characterized by population decline and underused land. Although the generous site could have supported a far larger structure, the architects honored the client's wish for a modest, ground-hugging dwelling."

"The T-shaped site offered many possible arrangements, but Fumi Aso Architect & Associates chose a streamlined strategy in response to rising construction costs during the COVID-19 period. Within this clarity of form, the cylindrical volume becomes the experiential core of the project, with carefully placed openings that frame shifting fragments of sky, sunlight, and surrounding views. As light moves across the white interior surfaces, the atmosphere drifts between softness and intensity, giving the home a quiet sense of motion."

"Along the southern edge, a deck and deep eaves establish a versatile zone that is warm and sheltered in winter and comfortably shaded in summer when a tarp is hung. A nearby veranda, designed for a family who enjoys outdoor living, extends daily activities into a semi-outdoor space where meals, play, and rest can unfold with ease. To the north, a freestanding wall creates a shaded terrace that protects the exterior from direct sun,"

Built on a flagpole-shaped plot in downtown Tajimi, the single-story Kaleidoscape places a cylindrical main volume intersected by a secondary wing to form a modest, ground-hugging residence. The plan responds to rising construction costs with a streamlined T-shaped site strategy. Carefully placed openings frame shifting fragments of sky, sunlight, and views, while white interior surfaces let light move across volumes, altering atmosphere between softness and intensity. Southern deep eaves and a deck provide shelter in winter and shade in summer, complemented by a veranda for semi-outdoor living. A freestanding northern wall creates a shaded terrace protecting the exterior from direct sun.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine