Weekend House in Karuizawa

DETAIL 2007 D 6 Documentation 617

Weekend House in Karuizawa

Architects:Makoto Take) & Chie Nabeshima/TNA.TokyoLighting design:Masahide Kakudate/Bon Bori, TokyoStructural engineers:Akira Suzuki/ASA, TokyoOthers involved in the project: see page 696

Almost like something out of a fairy tale, thisfinely detailed weekend house stands in themidst of a wooded area an hour's car drivefrom Tokyo. The adjacent roads and thesteeply sloping ground made it difficult tosell the site, but when it was offered in con-junction with the weekend house designed-by the young architectural practice TNA, in-terested parties turned up almost immedi-ately. In their mini-tower, which commands apanoramic view on all sides, the owners cannow enjoy the surrounding trees on threelevels- The house seems to exist without ver-tical elements; not even the individual sto-reys are legible. Everything is concealedbehind laminated cedar facade strips 28-125 cm high. These timber strips are rigidlyfixed to 12/12 cm timber columns more than10 m high. In order to avoid the use of diag-onal members, rigid connections were nec-essary for the prefabricated Vierendeel fa-cade structure. This was achieved with an-nular split-ring connectors, which unite hori-zontal members and vertical columns toform a unified whole. On the ground floor,which (s partly buried in the earth, the col-umns are bolted to the solid base structure.An external layer of burned cedar boardingcreates a restrained appearance. Bands offrameless glazing between the strips affordsensuous glimpses through the structureand do justice to the concept of transparen-cy that underlies the entire building,

SectionsFloor plansscale 1:200

1 Guest room2 Vestibule3 Kitchen/Dining area

4 Living room5 Bedroom6 Bathroom

61B Weekend House in Karuizawa 2007 • 6 DETAIL

1 115/210 mm laminated pine with steel annular split-ring connectors2 10 mm cedar boarding, burned and impregnated

20 mm rigid-foam insulationplastic waterproof layer115/1250 mm laminated pine unit

3 piastic waterproof layer15 mm plywood70 mm (mm.) glass-wool thermal insulation to failsvapour barner on 24 mm plywood30 mm thermal insuiation115/240-1250 mm laminated pine rafters45/50 mm battens12.5 mm plasterboard soffit

4 120/120 mm laminated pine coiumn5 50 mm cypress frame with double glazing:

2x 6 mm toughened glass + 6 mm cavity6 36 mm cypress frame with insect screen7 smoke-extracl hood:

40 mm veneered piywood8 fixed double glazing: 2x 6 mm toughened glass + 12 mm cavity9 12 mm birch parquet

12 -t 28 mm plywood105/300 mm iaminated pine joists45/50 mm battens12.5 mm plasterboard

10 10 mm cedar boarding, burned and impregnated on waterproof layer150 mm reinforced concrete105 mm polyurethane insulation9 + 6 mm piywood

Vertical sectionscale 1:10

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620 Weekend House in Karuizawa 2007 D 6 DETAIL

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Vertical sectionscale 1:10

Horizontal sections

50 mm cypress window framewith double glazing:2x 8 mm toughened glass -i-12 mm cavity36 mm cypress frame withinsect screen10 mm cedar boarding,burned and impregnated20 mm rigid-toam insulationplastic waterproof layer115/1250 mm laminated pine unit3 mm sheet-steel canopy.painted

entrance door:50 mm cypress framedouble glazing:2x 8 mm toughened glass+ 12 mm cavity30 mm birch-veneeredchipboard landing/treadfixed at sides with25/25 mm steel angles19/65 mm steel-flatstaircase string12 mm birch parquet12 -f 28 mm piywood105/300 mm laminated pine joists30/30 mm battens12.5 mm plasterboard

8 0 32 mm tubular steel handrail9 12 mm birch parquet

12 -f 28 mm plywoodthermal insuiation between45/45 mm pine battens and90/90 mm pine bearers250 mm concrete floor slab

10 external wall:10 mm cedar boarding,burned and impregnatedwaterproof layer150 mm reinforcedconcrete plinth105 mm polyurethanethermal insulation9 + 6 mm plywood

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