An experiment in sustainable living in the community

This is a residence and studio project that attempts to mix work and living and to live sustainably in an urban area while engaging with the local community.

The site is located in the center of Nara City, along a densely populated street where fields and private homes continue to be converted into large apartment buildings. The front street is one street off the main road and is a daily street where walkers, cyclists, delivery vehicles, etc. come and go. About half of the houses along the street are leased to individuals on the ground floor. At the same time, the area is home to a community of mainly long-time residents.

First, we set up a reinforced concrete structure as a shelter to protect the residents from the various urban environments at a minimal cost, and decided to create a place to live by deciphering the environment while living in the house and constructing it on our own.The RC frame, with its 3.5-meter-high stories and large openings, creates an environment that serves as a platform for integrating with the scale of the surrounding environment and achieving openness.

Although not yet independently constructed, the first floor, which is on the side of the road on the way to school, has already become a stopping place for children, and a lifestyle of keeping an eye on the children while continuing to work is being realized. We hope to play a role in the community as a place where people can casually engage with architecture, utilizing the professional skills of architects.

In the future, we intend to live together with the community while doing independent construction as " creating = living" with the themes of sustainability, flexibiliry, and materiality.