STUDIO COCHI ARCHITECTS DESIGNS A HOME IN OKINAWA THAT TRANSFORMS SOLIDITY INTO TRANQUILITY AMONG CHAOTIC WORLD
TEXT: PRATCHAYAPOL LERTWICHA
PHOTO: OOKI JINGU
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When contentment lies in peaceful living, yet neighboring houses press in from all sides, a home must serve as a protective shell that shelters life within. House in Nishizaki is one such home. Designed for a couple and their child, it stands in Nishizaki, a newly reclaimed and developed district on Okinawa Island, Japan. The area has been planned as a fully integrated urban zone, with residential, commercial, educational, and industrial spaces interwoven throughout. Here, residential plots are small and numerous, resulting in compact houses, built side by side in tight clusters. House in Nishizaki is one of these modest yet thoughtfully designed dwellings.
In addition to contending with neighboring buildings to the east and west, the house must also withstand the noise of traffic from a major road to the south. To address this, Studio cochi Architects, the Japanese firm responsible for the design, encased the home in a solid envelope of exposed concrete walls. These robust barriers shield the house from prying eyes and insulate its interior from the bustle outside. Only the northern side, which faces a tranquil residential lane, has been opened up at ground level, allowing outward views and a sense of connection to the quiet neighborhood.
Though the exterior appears closed and heavy, suggesting an interior that might feel dim and confined, the reality is quite the opposite. This two-storey house is arranged with the ground floor serving as a living area that includes a tatami-matted living room, dining area, and kitchen, while the private bedrooms occupy the upper floor. Both levels are open and visually connected, ensuring that despite its compact footprint, the house feels spacious and airy.
On the northern side of the house, a small courtyard sits enclosed by concrete walls, forming a transitional space between the outside world and the interior. Open to the sky above, it draws in natural light. To the south, there is another courtyard, larger and completely surrounded by solid walls to block out the intrusive noise from the road. These north and south facing courtyards not only welcome sunlight deep into the home but also invite breezes to flow through, cooling the spaces within.
A sweeping floating staircase curves above the courtyard. This generous structure is designed to double as seating rather than serve merely as a passageway. The gentle arc of the staircase softens the rigid geometry of the concrete box. Similarly, the staggered arrangement of floors and the interplay of protruding and recessed rooms add a sense of vitality to the house’s simple form. Small apertures scattered throughout do more than filter in light; their presence lightens the visual weight of the concrete shell. Many of the furnishings and built-in elements were designed and crafted by the architects themselves, not only to add warmth and a sense of welcome but also, they say, to continue and celebrate local craftsmanship. Despite the enclosing walls that guard privacy, the home’s layered design gives its sheltered world a warmth and vibrancy that make it feel alive.
