会所を加えた職住一体の暮らしと自然の繋がり

敷地は広島県呉市の山間で、東は本庄水源地という貯水池と、その手前に呉湾まで繋がる二河川が流れる。西は絵下山を中心とした山々が連なり、その麓には新旧の住宅が等高線に沿うように建ち並んでいる。建主は長くこの地で工務店を営んでいることから、地域に貢献できる建築をつくりたいという思いが強く、事務所と住宅の機能に加えて、地域の「会所」としての場を望んだ。
まず屋根の操作によって環境と建築の繋がりをつくり、諸室もそれに準じた配置を行なった。具体的には屋根を１方向に絞るのではなく、貯水池から山並みまでの緑の連続性をつくるための草屋根の下屋、南からの直射を遮り河川の下流から吹く強風を受け流すための主屋、この2方向の屋根の重なりによって全体を統合させている。2階の居住スペースからは草屋根と貯水池を重ねた風景を望みながら暮らすことができ、下屋の諸室は深い軒と地面からもち上がった植栽によって守りながら風景に開いた。
街の工務店という機能を拡張させるため、１階の庭と地続きになるように多目的室を配置した。塀ではなく植栽によって適度に視線を調整することで、利用者の賑わいを地域に届けている。多目的室は地域の人々の様々な活動を支援するための場であり、さらには防災拠点としても計画している。下屋の草屋根は室内の熱負荷の低減に繋がるだけでなく、川沿いが桜並木となる春先には地域の人びとに開放する。建築全体を利用した職住に、「会所」を加えた計画である。
地域に貢献する場とは、そこに暮らす人々が忌憚なく集える場所であり、かつての民家の庭先のようなセミパブリックな性質を持つことだと考える。一般の会所としての機能に加え、建主の職能を活かした催事も開かれることで多世代の交流が生まれ、街に少しずつ活気ある彩りが増えるだろう。この地で暮らし、この地の建築を支えながら「地域の庭」として定着していくことを期待している。

The site is located in the mountains of Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, with a reservoir called Honjo Suigenchi to the east and Niko river leading to Kure Bay in front of it. To the west are a series of mountains centering on Mt. Ege, and at the foot of the mountains, old and new houses stand side by side along the contour line. The owner, who has been running a construction company in the area for a long time, had a strong desire to create a building that would contribute to the local community, and in addition to the functions of office and residence, he wanted the building to serve as a "meeting place" for the community.
In addition to the functions of an office and a residence, he wanted the building to serve as a "meeting place" for the local community.
First, the roof was manipulated to create a connection between the environment and the architecture, and the various rooms were arranged accordingly. The roof is not limited to one direction, but is integrated by the overlapping of two roofs: a grass-roofed shed to create a green continuity from the reservoir to the mountain range, and a main roof to block direct sunlight from the south and to catch strong winds blowing from the lower reaches of the river. The rooms on the lower floor are protected by the deep eaves and the plants raised from the ground, opening them up to the landscape.
In order to extend the function of the house as a town office, a multi-purpose room was placed so that it is connected to the garden on the first floor. By moderately adjusting the line of sight through plantings rather than a wall, the lively atmosphere of the users is brought to the community. The multipurpose room is planned as a place to support various activities of local people and also as a disaster prevention center. The grass roof of the shed not only reduces the heat load inside the building, but also opens the building to the local community in early spring, when the riverside is lined with cherry blossom trees. The plan is to add a "meeting place" to the work and residence using the entire building.
We believe that a place that contributes to the community is a place where the people who live there can gather frankly, and that it has a semi-public character similar to the gardens of the old private homes. In addition to its function as a gathering place, the building will also serve as a venue for events that take advantage of the owner's professional skills, which will bring about multi-generational interaction and gradually add color and vibrancy to the town. We hope that the garden will become established as a "community garden" while living here and supporting the architecture of the area.