House in Fujioka

Situated on a spacious plot of former farmland in Fujioka, Gunma, this wooden residence was designed for a couple—a photographer and an online used book retailer. The brief called for an expansive, light-filled living area for photography and shelving to accommodate a vast collection of 10,000 books. Within a simple rectangular plan, the west-facing living room serves as the brightest and largest volume. The structural ingenuity of its column and beam system introduces rhythmic shadows to the facade, effectively mitigating the building’s perceived scale. Rather than centralizing the library, bookshelves are distributed throughout the home: full-height shelves in corridors and staircases, niches precisely sized for a single volume, and shelving that doubles as handrails. This ensures that books remain an integral part of the daily scenery from every vantage point. The spatial volume was dictated by the requirements for photography, while the scattered library for 10,000 books fosters seamless connections between rooms. Ultimately, the residence stands as a direct architectural manifestation of the couple’s professional lives.