Architecture and design studio DDAA Inc has made minor tweaks to an 86-year-old house in Japan's Nagasaki prefecture to turn it into an office for ceramics brand Maruhiro.
The converted home is situated in Hasami, a historic area that first began producing porcelain pottery more than 400 years ago during the Edo period.
As well as accommodating Maruhiro's office, the building now houses a showroom, an artists' residence and a kitchen.
Maruhiro's office takes over an 86-year-old house in Hasami
This will eventually be used to prepare food for visitors of Hiroppa ? a public plaza that DDAA Inc is working on nearby.
"It can be said that one of the characteristics of Japanese housing is that it does not peak at the time of completion but can gradually change its appearance according to the situation," the studio explained. "This Japanese house was no exception."
The main workroom features a lowered concrete floor
To conserve budged in light of the pandemic and retain the character of the original home, Tokyo-based DDAA Inc made only a handful of alterations on the interior while the exterior has gone completely untouched.
"When this project was just starting, the Covid-19 calamity was also spreading worldwide," the studio explained. "But the client decided to continue the project."
"As the future was unpredictable, DDAA proposed what we could do with half of the original budget."
Lowering the floor exposed rocks that secure some...