五泉の家
Residence @ Gosen, Niigata
Design: Shota Kaneko /SNARK Inc.
Construction: Daiwa Homes
Total area: 239.32㎡ (1F/185.49㎡ 2F/53.83㎡)
Completion: Nov. 2024
Photo: Ippei Shinzawa

新潟県五泉市の延床面積70坪ほどある木造2階建ての日本家屋改修計画である。3世帯で住んでいた家は現在、施主と息子の二人暮らしであり、生活空間と動線のコンパクト化が求められた。二人で暮らすのに十分な広さとなる1階の約半分を改修範囲とし、空調効率を考慮し改修部だけ断熱材で囲う計画とした。1階の中廊下を境に改修部の向かいには広い縁側のある客間や仏間があり、中間季は障子や襖を外して庭を望める気持ちの良い空間である。そこで改修部とそれ以外とを大きな建具によって仕切る事で、季節に合わせて建物全体を一体利用できる構成を考えた。既存の飾り窓や格天井、飴色の床板材などの特徴的な仕上げに配慮しながら改修部の床材やタイルなどの素材を選定し、対比と調和が混在しながら建物全体に馴染むようなデザインを考えた。地方における少子高齢化などの影響により同様の住居が散見される中、一つの解を示す計画となったと考える。

 

This project is a renovation of a traditional two-story wooden house—approximately 230 square meters in size—located in Gosen City, Niigata Prefecture. Originally home to three generations, the house is now occupied by the client and their son. The goal was to create a more compact living environment suited to a two-person household. The renovation focused on approximately half of the ground floor—an area large enough to accommodate daily life—and was enclosed with insulation for improved energy efficiency. On the opposite side of the central hallway lie a guest room and Buddhist altar room with a spacious engawa. It is a calm and pleasant space, where views of the garden can be enjoyed through open shoji screens and sliding doors in spring and autumn. To allow the house to be used more flexibly across the seasons, large sliding partitions were installed to separate the renovated and unrenovated areas. Finishes such as the floorboards, tiles, and other materials were carefully selected to complement the existing decorative elements—such as feature windows, coffered ceilings, and amber-toned floorboards—creating a balance of contrast and harmony so that the renovated area feels integrated with the overall structure. Amid the growing number of similar houses affected by population decline and an aging society in rural Japan, this project may offer one possible approach to reimagining traditional homes for contemporary life.