Kengo Kuma’s first U.S. home is an indoor-outdoor masterpiece

Hot off the heels of his expansion of the Portland Japanese Garden, architect Kengo Kuma has designed a house in Happy Valley, Oregon, for Yokohama-based homebuilding company Suteki.

Built as part of Metro Portland’s annual Street of Dreams residential showcase, the Suteki home—its first in the U.S.—is a 4,739-square-foot dwelling that combines Japanese architectural elements with American amenities to create a space that communes with the surrounding nature and brings the outdoors in.

The two-story L-shaped dwelling boasts oversized, gently-sloping roofs that provide generous overhangs, a corresponding wraparound wooden deck, full-height glazed walls, and a flowing floorplan distinguished by a soaring, double-height great room with kitchen and dining area that opens directly onto the beautiful gardens—landscaped by Sadafumi Uchiyama of the Portland Japanese Garden, no less—and a nearby creek.

Also found on the main floor are a studio, sitting room, and the master suite. Upstairs are two additional bedrooms, an observatory, and an entertainment room. The home incorporates natural materials like wood, stone, and tile, the use of which falls in line with the design’s focus on sustainability and embracing nature.

This residence is a prototype for other similar dwellings Suteki has planned for development in the Portland area.

Via: Designboom