- Project: House in Kina
- Architect: Ishiodori Takeshi Architecture
- Location: Japan, Yomitan
- Year: 2020
- Area: 74 m2
- Photography: Studio Marsh
A Wooden Sanctuary Amid Okinawa’s Concrete Landscape
In the village of Yomitan, surrounded by dense concrete homes and coastal winds, House in Kina by Takeshi Ishiodori Architecture stands as a poetic counterpoint. Instead of mimicking the heavy, bunker-like structures typical of Okinawa, this 74 m² residence embraces timber, air, and openness — elements often forgotten in modern island living.
The single-storey dwelling was designed for a young family who wanted a life rooted in nature, simplicity, and continuity. The result is a home that feels both fragile and enduring — a minimalist retreat that breathes with its climate, glows with daylight, and connects deeply to its place.
Design Concept – Returning to the Essence of Home
The architect’s guiding idea was simple yet radical: to build a wooden home that would age with its inhabitants. In a region where concrete dominates due to typhoon resistance, this project reintroduces the spirit of Okinawa’s traditional wooden dwellings — modest in form but rich in atmosphere.
The design revolves around a central courtyard, the heart of the home, which introduces daylight, airflow, and greenery to every room. Each space faces this inner garden, ensuring privacy while maintaining a sense of openness. From any point inside, the sky, trees, and shifting shadows become part of daily life.
Spatial Organization – Living Around Light
The house is organized with precision and calm:
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To the south, a series of intimate private rooms form the family’s sleeping and resting areas.
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At the north, the living, dining, and kitchen spaces are gathered under a higher ceiling, creating a generous sense of volume despite the home’s modest footprint.
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Between them, a tatami room and the courtyard act as the social and climatic core — a flexible space that blurs boundaries between inside and out.
Sliding doors and open corridors connect each area, allowing breezes to move freely through the interior. The plan reflects traditional Okinawan logic — compact, symmetrical, and climate-responsive — reinterpreted with contemporary simplicity.
Materials – Warmth, Honesty, and Craft
While neighbouring buildings rely on reinforced concrete for protection, House in Kina expresses its confidence through craft. The exterior is clad entirely in natural cedar wood, chosen for its durability and ability to age gracefully in Okinawa’s humid conditions. Over time, its surface will silver, blending softly with the surrounding vegetation.
Inside, the warmth of wood continues: exposed beams, timber floors, and paneled ceilings create a rhythmic continuity between spaces. Natural light reveals the subtle grain of the material, and at night, soft illumination enhances its texture. The home feels alive — not static, but evolving through use, weather, and time.
Climate Response and Courtyard Living
In Okinawa’s subtropical climate, where humidity and wind can be harsh, this home responds not with heaviness but with intelligence. The courtyard acts as a natural climate buffer — cooling breezes are drawn through the central void, while roof overhangs and timber screens control sun and rain.
The structure sits slightly lower than street level, allowing surrounding buildings to act as natural windbreaks during typhoons. This subtle gesture makes the courtyard more comfortable year-round, turning it into a functional outdoor living room — a place for meals, children’s play, or quiet reflection.
Through this interplay of enclosure and exposure, the house achieves the ideal balance of protection and openness — a design both rational and poetic.
Experience and Atmosphere
Walking through House in Kina feels like moving within light itself. Morning sun glides across the cedar walls, filtered by the garden foliage. Midday reflections shimmer on the tatami mats. By evening, the home glows softly from within — a warm lantern amid the cool grey of its surroundings.
Despite its small scale, the architecture offers a profound emotional experience. Every room maintains a connection to the outdoors; every surface invites touch. The simplicity is not minimalism for its own sake — it’s an economy of expression that heightens awareness of air, light, and time.
Architectural Significance
House in Kina encapsulates the new direction of Japanese domestic architecture — one that seeks intimacy with nature, material authenticity, and environmental wisdom. It rejects the culture of overbuilding, showing instead that beauty lies in moderation, adaptation, and craft.
This project demonstrates:
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How traditional wooden construction can coexist with contemporary life.
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How courtyard typologies remain powerful tools for tropical architecture.
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How architecture can be both fragile and resilient, rooted in time and place.
It’s a quiet home — but one with lessons that resonate far beyond its 74 square meters.
House in Kina by Takeshi Ishiodori Architecture is a reminder that architecture doesn’t need to be loud to be profound. Through simplicity, light, and the honesty of wood, it crafts an environment that nurtures both body and spirit.
In a landscape dominated by concrete, this wooden sanctuary whispers a new narrative — one where architecture grows old gracefully, together with those who call it home.
