N-House, Owani Aomori Japan by Frank la Riviere Architects

Location: Aomori-ken, Owani-shi, Japan
Architect: Frank la Riviere Architects inc
Principal Use: Private residence
Project completion: August 2007
Structure System: Concrete foundation + Wood post and beam structure
Floors: 2 above grade
Site Area: 349.67 m2
Build Area: 114.58 m2
Total Floor Area: 194 m2

The N-House is a low budget house that explores the depth of space. Constructed on a deep plot of land in Aomori prefecture, this low budget project N-House would automatically be long stretched. This allowed for an exploration of a particular feel of transparence by making the depth of the space optically measurable through the introduction of in-between zones to separate the main spaces and cut through the space in the cross direction. The house exhibits a spatial quality that allows the experience of several other spaces beyond, extending the overall limits of the space.

At the second level of N-House the openness in the length can be changed by opening or closing sliding doors. By using color difference (orange plywood [Nitax Wisa Light Brown] against Birch plywood) in the floor and changes in the ceiling the spaces are determined and the distance optically made measurable.

This is not a house built out of separate rooms but of spaces with transition zones, made changeable with sliding doors. Construction from simple but raw materials cut to modules of a dimension system gives homogeneity to the spaces.

In the length from the entrance, one can see through the living room, dining room and the Japanese room into the garden behind the house. These in-between zones work as separators as well as connectors, and as part of the circulation accessing the functions in the service zone (North-side), such as the staircase to the second floor, the bathroom, storage and toilets.