The owner of a construction company in Houston has collaborated with Seattle architects Suyama Peterson Deguchi to create a Japanese-influenced home that she built for herself.

The design and construction of the Shou Sugi Ban House was joint effort between the architects and Erin Stetzer. Because the client, the proprietor of Stetzer Builders, was also responsible for construction, many decisions were streamlined.
"Inspired by traditional Japanese architecture, the Shou Sugi Ban House was designed for a couple with two young children and their desire for an Asian contemporary home," said Suyama Peterson Deguchi.

The house is named after a traditional Japanese technique for weatherproofing wood. The process involves burning and oiling lumber to give聽it a rich dark colour and render the material more durable. "The wood planks, which came from Seattle, were burned by the owners using an ancient Japanese method called Shou Sugi Ban and used on the exterior and interior," said the architects.

Encompassing 3,950 square feet (367 square metres), the two-storey home has a low-slung profile and broad, overhanging roof line. The dark boards cladding the residence were laid horizontally, reinforcing the building's geometry.
"The house utilises large overhanging roofs for shade, and geothermal heating and cooling," Suyama Peterson Deguchi said

Visitors enter the T-shaped ground floor at the intersection of its two wings. The shorter section contains t...