Architecture practice Studio AMB has renovated a century-old traditional Japanese home in the Misumi region of Shimane to create a minimalist guesthouse, featuring a communal ground floor that is open to the elements.
Intended to give a new generation of visitors the opportunity to "experience the local climate and culture" of the small fishing village, the dwelling was intended not only for private guests, but also as a gathering space for the local community when empty.
Studio AMB "reinterprets ancient traditions" for guesthouse in Japan
Retaining and reinforcing the existing wooden structure, Studio AMB looked to reinterpret the typical spaces of a traditional Japanese home, including the doma ? an interstitial, dirt-floored space, and the engawa ? a porch-style ledge around the edge of the building. "Our approach diverges from the prevalent issue in Japan of 'scrap and build', opting instead to create spaces that reinterpret ancient traditions to pass on traditional homes to the future," the studio's founder Haruki Nakayama told Dezeen.
The home integrates a sunken kitchen and bathing area partially hidden by a perimeter engawa
Digging down into the ground floor of the home has created space for a sunken kitchen and bathing area, partially hidden from view by the wooden engawa that wraps the perimeter of the home.
Slim wooden columns and the overhanging roof shelter these spaces, with the front of the home left almost entirely open to the e...