Nightingale House That Connects To Nature

Nightiangle House is a residential project that strives to be as connects to nature as possible. Designed by Atsushi Kawanishi Architects, the team has incorporated six multi-sized terraces into the design. In principle, by dismantling and reconstructing a house in a garden, we can create multiple places, keep our distance from each other, and slowly open up to the environment. The house consists of two of them being part of the outdoors, while the rest cut through the structure, bringing a bold splash inside. That’s why being inside achieves that feeling of blurring the boundaries between inside and outside that allows these spaces to communicate visually without sacrificing privacy.

Like a typical Japanese house, the L-shaped one-story wooden building and the two-story building are slightly misaligned and blend into each other, while the wind blows, the light shines, and the green shadows sparkle. Located on the outskirts of a Japanese city, this project seeks to bring a touch of nature to it, striking a balance with the surrounding landscape. The architects also embed a sharp yet simple geometry that stands out with the soft shape of the mountains behind the house in the form of three triangular roofs at various slopes, levels, and orientations emerging from a flat platform above the ground floor.

Each space is visually unique with its own little terrace and organically connected to the front garden via a platform. The three inner terraces act as a visual buffer connecting the front garden and the interior. In addition, they gently divide the house and determine the configuration of the interior. Therefore, the bedrooms and common areas are spread out across a well-lit floor from which the view can continuously escape. Overall, the garden is intertwined with living spaces that provide a flowing layout for its occupants.

In a garden full of fronts, children in the neighborhood can play, sit on benches, and become a DIY room to firewood making. The garden in the south corner, which guides the wind, grows plants and looks out over Osaka Airport and central Osaka in the distance. The three inner gardens serve as supports connecting the front and interior gardens.