SATOSHI OKADA
ARCHITECTS

The fan-shaped site is located in a small town along the Hayama Coast, 60 km south of Tokyo. The area is one of the most popular seaside retreats on the Sagami Gulf. The Villa Y/h, a three-story building of reinforced concrete is almost hidden from the public road nearby, revealing its distinguished visage to the ocean.

Slightly slanted from the beach-side facade are the living spaces devoted to the upper two floors, which display a splendid view of Mt. Fuji. Continuous to the adjacent broad terraces, its high ceilings, lit by skylights of several shapes and sizes with louvres, accentuate the adjacent glass walls. The middle story serves for private spaces of the master bedroom and main bathroom, both highlighting the sea as its focal point. On the contrary, the rooms half-embedded into the inclined terrain exude tranquility and intimacy through its dimness. The bottom floor is dedicated to a guest room, bathrooms, storage followed by a spacious outdoor living platform. This exterior space is equipped with a fireplace and kitchen for barbecues, with direct access to the beach for leisure and relaxation.

The interior spaces are adorned with walls and floor tiles finished with light-beige plaster, dark brown granite, and intricate wooden furnishings handcrafted in traditional Japanese carpentry. The exposed board-form concrete of the ground floor ? 50 mm horizontal stripes made possible by custom timber formwork ? contrasts the upper two stories, painted white to signify the space as a realm for living.