Kengo Kuma Weaves Japanese Design Into This Indoor/Outdoor Oregon Abode
Japanese practice Kengo Kuma and Associates teamed up with Suteki America to build Suteki House for the 2017 NW Natural Street of Dreams, Oregon’s residential construction showcase. The home, which sits lightly on a residential lot in Happy Valley, a suburb of Portland, "envisions a new mode of suburban living by combining Japanese spatial principles and a nature‐based, American way of life," according to the architects.
Kengo Kuma designed Suteki House to keep a low profile "under a single, beautiful, and elegant horizontal roof." The L-shaped house hugs the slope of the lot, and the expansive use of glass maintains the interior connection to the exterior on both levels.
The entry is tucked behind a louvered screen, creating a winding path to the front door. The screen, composed of Alaskan Yellow Cedar, shields views from the sidewalk while still allowing interior occupants to see out, and evokes "a sense of elegance, mystery, and warmth," says the firm.
The 10' x 6' solid wood door has a traditional "waving wood" pattern to the surface.
Interior spaces, such as the main living area, deliberately frame exterior views. Per the architects: "Thus, the beautiful oak trees on the opposite side of the creek are still 'belonging' to this house by the use of a technique called shakkei or borrowed scenery—to expand limits visually."
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A continuous deck or veranda, called engawa in Japanese, functions as both a step and seat, to seamlessly connect the house to the garden. Deep eaves, or hisashi, provide cover and reflect light from the interior.
The garden was designed by Portland Japanese Garden curator Sadafumi Uchiyama, and is accessed by the many sliding glass panels.
The main floor master bedroom also enjoys the views via the double-height glass.
To create a subtle interior rhythm, the upper level hallway has a feature wall with the same "waving wood" pattern as the front door.
According to the architects, the house's "thinner dimensions not only display refinement of technique, but also remove visual weight from materials—the position being that lightness is good for the human spirit and visual heaviness is not."
Structural Engineer: MD Structural Engineering
Landscape Design: Sadafumi Uchiyama
Lighting Design: Globe Lighting
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