The site is located in the old downtown area near Sendai Station, and is a narrow lot with a width of 3.6m and a depth of 18m, where the old town layout remains. The husband, a dye craftsman, has a studio at the back of the first floor so that he can work at home, and the space facing the street on the first floor can be used as a shop or showroom, and the house is structured as a townhouse where the couple lives on the second and third floors.
The width of structure is 2.73m, but the first floor is made of a wooden rigid-frame structure, eliminating load-bearing walls and creating an open space to the east and west. On the other hand, the second and third floors are built using traditional construction methods that use the walls of the toilets and private rooms as load-bearing walls, reducing costs.
Although the house is a three-story wooden building built in a quasi-fire prevention area, by designing it as a quasi-fire-proof building, the wooden frame is exposed without any covering or burning margins, allowing the enjoyment of the texture of the wood itself and its changes over time.
It is a long and narrow building measuring 3m x 11m, with buildings close to it on both sides, but we designed it to ensure natural lighting by providing a courtyard and to allow natural ventilation by utilizing the chimney effect of the courtyard. Like the town houses of the past, it is open to the street and natural environment and is unique to Sendai’s downtown area.