Kamakura005
A Dual Apparatus for Framing the Environment
This small house stands on an elevated site in Kita-Kamakura, overlooking Mount Rokkokuken-zan. Responding to two distinct environmental qualities—the expansive view unique to the site and the openness of the sky above—the design introduces two differently configured windows to amplify each. One is a horizontal strip window over six meters long, set along the long side of a rectangular, column-free room. It frames the ridgeline of Mount Rokkokuken-zan like a panoramic painting, drawing the gaze outward. The other is a skylight pierced into the apex of a hipped roof. With its raised peak, sunlight is filtered as it bounces within the shaft, casting light that transforms with time and weather. The former functions as a “window for viewing,” the latter as a “window for bringing in,” and their respective performative roles are made legible through the spatial contrast between the planar openness and the timber-framed pitched enclosure.















