This project is a private art museum and residence planned for an artist couple, located about an hour northwest of Tokyo by express train—where the mountains begin to encroach on the Kanto Plain.
Situated on the edge of a residential neighborhood and surrounded by farmland, the site enjoys an open view stretching over a kilometer beyond. This unbroken landscape is unlikely to change in the future, a rare condition in Japan’s continually expanding urban sprawl.
The program combines two distinct yet loosely connected zones: the museum area—comprising exhibition rooms, an atelier, and a workshop dedicated to the traditional art of cloisonné enamel—and the residential area. A central courtyard separates them, allowing for a fluid interplay between living and creating.
At the heart of the design is a contrast between “black” spaces, where function and form correspond directly, and “white” spaces, which remain flexible and can adapt to various uses. On the ground floor, the “white” spaces and courtyard flow organically around the “black” spaces, creating a seamless, dynamic environment.
The building is composed of modular “space blocks,” each formed by connecting cubes based on a 2.6-meter grid. The first floor, measuring roughly 15.8 meters square, is designed to shield against the strong winter winds known locally as the “Akagi Oroshi.” The external and internal spaces feel as if they have been carefully carved out of the expansive surroundings, giving the architecture a quietly defensive character.
To stand as a small landmark within the flat landscape, the structure extends upward at four points. A space on the third floor, placed above the second, becomes a lookout offering panoramic views of the distant mountain ranges that encircle the horizon.