Tent-like Japanese house is designed to welcome neighbors

The Hara House stretches along a street in Nagaoka, Japan, in the shape of a tent. Its steep, white, sloping roof rises into two pristine points and then travels all the way to the ground, turning the house into an exaggerated A-frame.

Takeru Shoji Architects designed the house for a family who wanted a supplemental dwelling to its main family house that feels modern, yet engages with its village surroundings. The tent shape allowed the architects to create ample outdoor space under one peak, where a large deck opens to the street and beckons neighbors to stop by.

Isamu Murai

”We designed a space where passing neighbors, friends, and children can easily stop by to chit-chat under the entrance porch, or workshop meetings and events hosted in the space can spill out to the land,” the architects told Dezeen.

Inside, the same ethos of openness rules. The dramatic ceilings echo the tent shape and give an airy feel to the main floor where the kitchen, living room, and a small bedroom reside. Because the walls come most of the way to the floor, light comes in through angled openings and a wall of opaque windows at one end of the house. A set of ladders lead to two separate loft spaces where there’s a children’s room and a study—all clad in warm, glowing wood.

Isamu Murai

Isamu Murai

Isamu Murai